Korea (South)
| Author | Seung Lee |
| Pages | 557-565 |
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Official country name: Republic of Korea
Capital: Seoul
Geographic description: Southern half of the Korea Peninsula in east Asia between the Sea of Japan and the Yellow Sea; it is divided from Japan by the Korea Strait
Population: 48,422,644 (est. 2005)
The history of the South Korean police system can be divided into four major eras: the Division of Police Affairs, the Bureau of the National Police Agency, the National Police Headquarters, and the National Police Agency.
At the end of World War II, on August 15, 1945, the U.S. military government was established in South Korea. It is now known as South Korea's Independence Day. On October 21, 1945, the Police Administration Bureau was established at the national level, and a local police department was created in every province under the U.S. military government.
On January 16, 1946, the Police Administration Bureau became the Department of Police Affairs consisting of five bureaus: General Affairs, Public Peace, Criminal Investigation, Communications, and Education. During this period the police ranking system was updated to comprise the following: deputy commissioner general of the Police Administration Department, senior superintendent, inspector general, senior inspector, inspector, assistant inspector, and policeman. The Provincial Police departments were renamed Police Agencies. On July 1, 1946, a Female Police Department in the Public Security Bureau of the Police Department was created. Female police stations were also established in Seoul, In-Chon, Bu-San, and Tae-Gu, but were abolished in 1957.
On November 4, 1948, the Bureau of National Security was established under the minister of internal affairs. In every city a police agency was formed. During the Korean War the Police Battle Force Headquarters was established in Tae-Baek and in Ji-Ri Mountain on December 16, 1950 (abolished in 1952).
The National Police Hospital was established on December 26, 1953. The Maritime Police Force Squad (December 14, 1953), the Police Aviation Squad (October 2, 1954), and the National Institute of Scientific Inspection Service (March 25, 1955) were also launched.
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On December 24, 1974, the Bureau of the National Police Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs was reshuffled to form the Headquarters of National Security under the direction of the new Government Organization Act. The Police Comprehensive Academy was established in May 1975 to replace the existing school under the National Police College. On April 9, 1976, the Maritime Police Department in the National Security Headquarters was established. In July 1980 regulation of the National Police College was enacted and a college was formed in Yong-In, Kyung-Gi province. In 1982 the National Maritime Police was installed in the Cheong Moo district, Kyung Nam province.
In 1986 the Kim-Po and Che-Ju Airport Defense Squads were extended to International Airport Police Squads. The following year, 1987, the Psychiatry Department in the National Police Hospital was established. On August 15, 1987, the number of combat police officers increased by 5,070 in accordance with the early expansion of 30 companies in the Seoul Olympic Defense Unit.
On September 3, 1987, the Central National Training School was founded according to Presidential Decree No. 12241 and opened on September 18. In 1988 the National Police College was opened to female students in conformity with legislation regarding female officer recruitment.
On July 24, 1991, Presidential Decree No. 13431 was put into effect. The National Police Headquarters was renamed the National Police Agency, the Provincial Police Bureau became the Provincial Police Agency, and the National Maritime Police force became the National Maritime Police Agency. Organizational structures were changed to the following:
National Police Agency: 1 commissioner general, 1 deputy commissioner general, 4 director generals, 7 bureaus, 5 assistant director generals, 9 directors, and 11 divisions
National Maritime Police Agency: 1 director, 4 departments, and 11 divisions
Seoul Provincial Police Agency: 1 commissioner general, 1 deputy commissioner general, 7 departments, 2 directors, 17 divisions, and 7 direct control squads.
On October 17, 1992, the director of foreign affairs was charged with Interpol duties. On August 8, 1996, the position of the National Maritime Police Agency was transferred into the Ministry of the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries in accordance with Presidential Decree No. 15136.
On September 29, 2000, according to Presidential Decree No. 16975, the Anti-Cyber Terrorism Center was established with five teams (cooperative operation team, report and warning team, inspection service team, and skill development team).
On March 27, 2001, based on Presidential Decree No. 17168 and Administration Order No. 128, the In-Cheon International Airport Police Squad was established under the In-Cheon Metropolitan Police Agency with 3 divisions and 138 officers. In addition, the Kim-Po International Airport Police Squad was renamed the Kim-Po Airport Police Squad of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency.
On February 25, 2002, in accordance with the direction of Presidential Decree No. 17521 and Administration Order No. 161, the National Police Agency was reorganized to reinforce the three-shift system at branch offices. Also, the Female Juvenile Section was established in four provincial police agencies.
As of 2003 the South Korean police became a national police force, comprising of the Central Headquarters of the National Police Agency, the Central Police Organization, 14 regional police agencies, 231 police stations, 2,930 branch offices, and other affiliated institutes including the Police College, the Police Comprehensive Academy, the National Central Police Academy, the Driver's Licensing Agency, and the Police Hospital. The National Police Agency is divided into 6 bureaus, 5 offices, and 1 assistant director general.
In addition, to secure the political neutrality and the democracy of the police, the Police Commission under the Ministry of Government Administration and Home Affairs serves as the highest order consultation/legislative organization.
In spite of the similarity of structure between the police organization and the provincial governments, police stations exist for the security of the people, rather than administrative demand. As security demands increase, more stations and stands are established to meet the needs of the people.
National Institute of Scientific Inspection: The National Institute of Scientific Inspection (NISI) under the Ministry of Government Administration and Home Affairs is operated under the supervision of the commissioner general and provides comprehensive forensic services to law enforcement agencies. The NISI has laboratories in Seoul, Bu-San, Jang-Seong, and Dea-Jeon. It employs over 250 forensic scientists, technologists, and
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administrative personnel. The NISI examines physical evidence submitted from all South Korean police agencies, the prosecutor's office, courts, and government agencies and provides reports and expert court testimony based on the results of its forensic examinations.
In 1935 the Legal Medicine and Forensic Science Laboratory and Criminal Photographic Section was founded under the Investigation Division of the Kyong-Gi Provincial Police Bureau. In 1955 the NISI was established under Presidential Decree No. 1021. In 1993 the Southern District Office at Pu-San was established. In 1967 the Western District Office at Jang-Seong was established, and in 2000 the Central District Office at Dae-Jeon became operational. The NISI commemorated its forty-fifth anniversary by holding an international seminar on Forensic Science and by founding the Korean Society of Forensic Science.
Police College: The South Korean National Police College provides four years of regular educational courses that grants a bachelor's degree in law and in public administration. In 1979 the Police College Law was passed and in 1981 the South Korean Police College opened its campus in In-Chon with a highly competitive acceptance rate (ratio of 224:1) among those who took the national college entrance exam. In January 1983 the campus moved...
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