Police to Randomly Assign Cases; Legal Professionals Deployed to Prevent Concealment

Strengthened Investigation Oversight in Line with Criminal Procedure Act Amendments

Major Cases to Be Investigated Directly by Superintendent or Senior Inspector-Level Officers

To ensure the fairness of investigations, the police will implement a random assignment system at the initial stage of case allocation. In particular, after the abolition of the prosecution's investigative authority, the National Police Agency will deploy investigation inspectors consisting mainly of external legal professionals at police stations nationwide, aiming to prevent the concealment of cases by the police. Furthermore, major cases will be directly investigated by senior officers at the superintendent or higher level.

According to the police on August 26, the National Police Agency plans to reform its criminal investigation system to coincide with the enforcement of the revised Criminal Procedure Act in October. First, at the stage of case reception and allocation, cases registered in the Criminal Justice Information System (KICS, pronounced "Kicks") will be assigned randomly. Case parties may file a request for the reassignment of an investigator, with the Office of Audit and Inspection and Human Rights deciding whether to accept such requests. This is akin to filing a motion for judicial recusal when the fairness of a trial is in question.

National Police Agency Criminal Investigation Headquarters. Yonhap News Agency

At the investigation stage, investigation inspectors consisting mainly of external legal professionals will be placed at police stations across the country to review and supplement cases. As of last year, the police handled as many as 3.22 million cases. Investigation inspectors will monitor case handling through tools such as KICS, offering real-time advice on legal judgments and the appropriateness of evidence collection. This process is intended to serve as an initial safeguard to prevent cases from being concealed or buried.

The command and management system for investigations will also be strengthened. While continuing to reinforce the current team leader-centered system, the police plan to establish a consistent management and oversight framework by introducing continuous supervision and inspection through higher-level offices, such as the investigation review officers.

From now on, major cases will be directly investigated by officers at the rank of superintendent or senior inspector. In the police hierarchy, a superintendent is equivalent to a police station chief, and a senior inspector corresponds to a department head at a police station. Currently, major cases are assigned to officers at the rank of inspector or below, but this standard will be elevated to the superintendent or senior inspector level. Special commendations and promotions for outstanding investigators will also be expanded.

At the conclusion of investigations, the National Police Commission under the Ministry of the Interior and Safety will establish a police investigation human rights and audit review agency to repeatedly review cases that have been closed as non-indictments or remain unresolved under police management. The National Police Commission may, following review and investigation, request further investigations from the head of the National Criminal Investigation Headquarters.

At the transfer and submission stage, dedicated departments will be established at each provincial and metropolitan police agency to monitor and manage prosecutors' requests for reinvestigation or supplementary investigation in real time. To prevent duplicate or delayed requests, the police intend to actively suggest investigative directions and opinions, and to provide guidance throughout the case management process.

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