Police Unveil Stopgap Measures... Disciplinary Reduction for Voluntary Reporting of Corruption

Reduced Discipline for Voluntary Reporting and Increased Rewards

Incentive Measures Only—Overly Fragmented Approach

The police, who have recently faced criticism for inadequate investigations and various corruption cases, including the "Jang Yunki case," are moving to strengthen the organization’s internal self-regulation. As part of institutional reform, they plan to reduce disciplinary measures for officers who voluntarily report corrupt activities.

However, there are doubts as to whether these measures will fundamentally resolve chronic corruption within the police organization. Since the reforms focus more on providing incentives—such as reduced disciplinary action and increased rewards for self-reporting—rather than addressing the foundational structures that enable corruption, critics argue these steps are fragmented compared to the stated goal of enhancing self-regulation.

Seodaemun-gu Police Agency, Seoul. Photo by Hyunmin Kim

On August 10, the National Police Agency announced that it would pursue reduced disciplinary action for those who voluntarily report their own wrongdoing. Because internal corruption is difficult to detect externally and self-reporting is often limited, the agency plans to revise related laws so that if a violation of duty is reported by the individual and confirmed to be true, disciplinary measures may be reduced or exempted.

To protect the anonymity of internal whistleblowers, the agency also plans to activate a system in which legal representatives can anonymously file reports on behalf of officers. This includes working to sign cooperation agreements with legal organizations and providing financial support for the costs associated with such proxy reporting.

In an effort to address ongoing issues such as the unauthorized disclosure of secrets and investigation information, the police plan to expand the annual reward fund for reporting corruption from its current level of about 27 million won to 100 million won. They believe that with the current budget, sufficient rewards are not possible, so by increasing the incentives, the agency aims to foster a stronger reporting culture within the organization.

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