Seoul police chief: no field confusion reported after amended procedure law
In short
Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency chief Ko Beom-seok said on October 6 that police have received no reports of special problems or confusion at the field level since the amended Criminal Procedure Act took effect on October 2 and as the new Serious Crime Investigation Agency launches. He said Seoul police ran a roughly month-long pilot at seven of the city's 31 police stations, trained officers and added investigative staff, and set up a three-tier consultation and support task force. Ko said police would cooperate closely with the new agency to minimise confusion, and that no list of cases to hand over has been drawn up yet.
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The head of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, Ko Beom-seok, said police had not received reports of any special problems or confusion at the field level since the amended Criminal Procedure Act took effect on October 2 and as the new Serious Crime Investigation Agency was being set up. Speaking at a regular press briefing at the Seoul police headquarters in Jongno-gu on October 6, Ko said the public had raised many concerns and that police had prepared extensively for the change. [ 1 , 2 ]
Ko said Seoul police prepared before the law took effect by reviewing the amended legislation, training field staff and reinforcing investigative personnel to handle increased work. The agency also ran a pilot for about a month at seven of Seoul's 31 police stations, according to Yonhap. Asia Economy identified the seven as Jungnang, Nowon, Dobong, Dongdaemun, Seongbuk, Gangbuk and Jongam police stations, and said the pilot was meant to let officers experience the practical changes in advance and identify things to improve. [ 1 , 2 ]
To handle questions and difficulties, police set up a three-tier consultation and support task force running from individual police stations through the Seoul agency to the National Investigation Headquarters, both outlets reported. Officers can first ask a designated contact at their station, and matters that cannot be resolved there are passed to the Seoul agency; issues the Seoul agency cannot answer are referred to the National Investigation Headquarters. Ko said the system allows matters raised through the task force to be counselled and supported immediately. [ 1 , 2 ]
Ko said no tally of consultation and support requests made through the task force has been compiled yet, Yonhap reported. He said he had received no special reports on the new criminal justice system and therefore considered it to be operating stably, while adding that police would look more carefully to ensure the concerns raised do not materialise. [ 1 ]
Ko also said police would cooperate closely with the new Serious Crime Investigation Agency so that confusion during its launch is minimised, according to both outlets. Asked whether police were compiling a list of cases or investigation details to hand over to the agency, he said there was nothing concrete at that point, Yonhap reported. [ 1 , 2 ]
Asia Economy reported in a photo caption that the flag of the Serious Crime Investigation Agency was raised inside Rene Square in Seoul's Jung-gu on October 1. The documents do not state a formal launch date for the agency. [ 2 ]
Why it matters
The amended criminal procedure law and the new Serious Crime Investigation Agency change how serious cases are handled between police and prosecutors in South Korea, so how smoothly the first weeks go is a test of the new system. Seoul police say the early signal is stability, but they have not yet published any figures on how many consultations the new support structure has handled, leaving the practical impact unquantified.
Key facts
- Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency chief Ko Beom-seok said police had not received reports of special problems or confusion at the field level since the amended Criminal Procedure Act took effect on October 2. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Seoul police ran a pilot of the new system for about a month at seven of the city's 31 police stations before the law took effect. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The seven pilot stations were Jungnang, Nowon, Dobong, Dongdaemun, Seongbuk, Gangbuk and Jongam police stations, according to Asia Economy. [ 2 ]
- Police said they reviewed the amended law, trained field officers and reinforced investigative personnel ahead of implementation. [ 1 , 2 ]
- A three-tier consultation and support task force links police stations to the Seoul agency and then to the National Investigation Headquarters. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Ko said no tally of consultation and support requests made through the task force has been compiled yet. [ 1 ]
- Ko said police would cooperate closely with the new Serious Crime Investigation Agency to minimise confusion, and that there is not yet any concrete list of cases to be transferred to it. [ 1 , 2 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Ko Beom-seok, head of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, said no special field problems or confusion had been reported since the amended Criminal Procedure Act took effect. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Seoul police ran a pilot at seven police stations for about a month and prepared officers through training and added investigative staff. [ 1 , 2 ]
- A consultation and support task force runs from police stations through the Seoul agency to the National Investigation Headquarters. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Ko pledged close cooperation with the new Serious Crime Investigation Agency to minimise confusion. [ 1 , 2 ]
Still unclear
- Whether and when the Serious Crime Investigation Agency formally launched. Yonhap refers to its launch as ongoing in connection with the amended law, while Asia Economy reports only that its flag was raised inside Rene Square in Seoul's Jung-gu on October 1; neither document states a launch date or completed launch.
- How many consultations and support requests the new task force has handled so far. Yonhap reports that Seoul police plan to compile the figure but that no tally has been produced yet.
- Which cases will be transferred to the new Serious Crime Investigation Agency. Yonhap reports Ko said there is nothing concrete yet on a case list or investigation details to be handed over; no other document addresses this.
- The actual state of the field beyond the police's own account. The claim that no problems have been reported comes from the police chief's briefing and is not corroborated by any independent source in the documents.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- The flag of the Serious Crime Investigation Agency is raised inside Rene Square in Seoul's Jung-gu, according to a photo caption in Asia Economy. [ 2 ]
- The amended Criminal Procedure Act takes effect. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency chief Ko Beom-seok holds a regular press briefing at the Seoul police headquarters in Jongno-gu, Seoul. [ 1 ]
- Asia Economy publishes its report on the briefing. [ 2 ]