Police officers can climb ranks faster under proposed reforms

Police officers are expected to have more opportunities for promotion and climb the ranks faster following police reforms announced by the interior minister Monday.

Interior Minister Lee Sang-min, right, speaks at a press conference detailing plans to improve the police organization system in a press conference alongside Yoon Hee-keun, commissioner general of the National Police Agency, at the government complex in central Seoul Monday. [YONHAP]

Police officers are expected to have more opportunities for promotion and climb the ranks faster following police reforms announced by the interior minister Monday.

Minister of the Interior and Safety Minister Lee Sang-min revealed plans to improve the police organization system in a press conference at the government complex in central Seoul. The reforms include raising the base salary of police officers, reducing the minimum number of years required for promotion and introducing a multiple-rank system.

"It's a devastating and regrettable situation that police are being investigated for responsibility for the Itaewon disaster," Lee said. "The president's pledge to strengthen police security capacity and responsibility by resolving problems in the police system and improving the treatment of police officers who are silently fulfilling their duties even under difficult conditions is a task that cannot be postponed any longer."

Under the multiple-rank system, a senior position can be occupied by police of varying ranks. It will apply to superintendent posts and above. This multiple-rank system will first be introduced at the National Police Agency and other major metropolitan and provincial police agencies.

The number of chief superintendents is expected to increase by 58, from 580 to 638, under this system.

Lee pointed out that since the situation team leader is a superintendent-ranked officer at municipal and provincial police agencies, initial responses to emergencies, such as the Oct. 29 Itaewon crowd crush, could be "insufficient." He proposed situation team leaders be chief superintendents as to better respond to disasters and also called for a 24-hour situation management system to strengthen the police's accident response capabilities.

Earlier this month, the Democratic Party-controlled National Assembly passed a motion calling the removal of Lee for his alleged failure to take responsibility for the Itaewon tragedy, which killed 158 people.

The number of years lower-ranking police officers must serve to be promoted to the superintendent general level will decrease from 16 to 11 years.

Lee said this plan will help pave the way for regular police officers to be promoted to higher ranks faster.

"Even if a police officer who has been dedicated to the safety of the people and has excellent performance starts as a police officer, he could be promoted to superintendent general in his late 40s or early 50s," said Lee.

A special promotion system that will promote police officers for achievements in catching major criminals or accomplishing key policy tasks will also be implemented.

Police officers under the rank of superintendent are expected to be given priority for an annual salary increase of 1.7 percent. Some 150 billion won ($115 million) is expected to be needed in order to fund the salary increase.

In July, the Interior Ministry announced it will establish a new bureau charged with police oversight.

Later that month, Lee drew backlash after comparing a nationwide meeting of police officers protesting the ministry's plan to create the police oversight bureau to the military coup d'etat of Dec. 12, 1979, which led to Chun Doo Hwan taking power.

The new police oversight bureau was established in early August.

It came as the investigative authority of the National Police Agency was expanded as the National Assembly weakened the prosecution's investigative powers.

Police assumed the authority to conduct investigations into most categories of crime after the Criminal Procedure Act and the Prosecutors' Office Act were revised in January 2020 before President Moon Jae-in left office in early May.

BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]