[Exclusive] "Investigator Yesterday, Defense Attorney Today"...Direct Law Firm Employment of Former Police Investigators Faces Restrictions

Hyunil Chae of the Democratic Party Proposes Amendment to the Public Official Ethics Act

A bill has been proposed that would require retired police officers who hold a lawyer qualification to undergo employment screening by the Public Officials Ethics Committee before joining a law firm.

Hyunil Chae, Member of the Democratic Party of Korea, plans to sponsor an amendment to the Public Official Ethics Act on June 12. The amendment aims to fundamentally prevent former investigative supervisors from inappropriately leveraging their influence, such as by becoming lawyers at law firms representing suspects soon after retirement.

Hyunil Chae, Member of the Democratic Party of Korea. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

Under the current law, retired public officials are prohibited from taking jobs at organizations closely related to the work of their previous departments or agencies. However, there is an exception for those with professional licenses, such as lawyers or accountants, who are not subject to asset disclosure. These individuals can join law firms, accounting firms, or tax firms without restriction. As a result, there have been increasing cases of police officers with lawyer qualifications joining law firms related to investigations they handled prior to retirement, prompting calls for stricter regulations.

According to the Administrative Watch Center of the People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy, at least 144 retired police officers found reemployment at law firms between January 2020 and February this year.

The proposed amendment stipulates that the employment restriction exception would not apply to lawyers who performed work related to investigation, review, or adjudication. It would require public officials with lawyer qualifications to receive approval from the relevant Public Officials Ethics Committee before reemployment at restricted organizations after retirement, in accordance with the Public Official Ethics Act.

Chae emphasized, "Beyond the moral responsibilities of public officials, we must quickly close the loopholes in the Public Official Ethics Act to strengthen public trust in the results of police investigations."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.