New Acting Police Commissioner General Reads ‘Police Charter’ in His Inaugural Address

Kim Jongcheol Begins Tenure with Nationwide Police Leadership Meeting

Launch of Missing Persons Investigation Reform and Police Reform Task Force

Stresses “Commitment to Core Mission” by Reading the Police Charter

The new acting commissioner of the National Police Agency emphasized his commitment to setting "painful self-reflection and thorough renewal" as his key message upon taking office, vowing to restore the fundamentals and principles of the police organization. By assembling the newly appointed nationwide police leadership and collectively reading the Police Charter, he placed top priority on restoring public trust, which has been shaken by a series of inadequate investigations.

Kim Jongchul, the newly appointed Acting Commissioner of the National Police Agency, salutes the national flag at the nationwide police leadership meeting held on the 3rd at the Police Agency Eoulrim Square in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

Kim Jongcheol, the newly appointed acting commissioner (deputy commissioner) of the National Police Agency, convened a leadership meeting at the headquarters' Eoullim Madang on the morning of September 3, declaring, "I will reform the organization from the ground up, with a determination to completely redesign the police," and added, "With this full-scale reshuffle of the leadership as a turning point, we are embarking on fundamental renewal to regain the trust of the people, which has been deeply eroded."

This meeting marked the first time the newly appointed leadership gathered together before assuming their new posts. All directors, division heads, and department chiefs from the headquarters were also present, underscoring the gravity of the current situation. The slogan for the meeting was set as, "Rebuilding the police from the ground up through painful self-reflection and thorough renewal."

In particular, Acting Commissioner Kim stood before the entire leadership and personally read aloud the Police Charter, which was established at the founding of the National Police Agency in 1991, reminding the organization of the need to adhere to its fundamental purpose and mission. The Charter outlines the values and principles the police must uphold, including the protection of lives and property, impartial law enforcement, and respect for human rights.

Kim Jongcheol stated, "The public is asking whether the police can truly be trusted. We will thoroughly prepare for major changes in the criminal justice system to establish an investigative framework that ensures public safety." He also presented the following priorities: developing fundamental renewal measures for handling missing persons cases, launching a police reform task force, and strengthening the protection and support of crime victims.

Kim Jongchul, the newly appointed Acting Commissioner of the National Police Agency, is speaking at the nationwide police leadership meeting held on the 3rd at the Police Agency Harmony Square in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

During the closed agenda briefing, there were reports and leadership discussions on topics such as missing persons investigation reform presented by the Criminal Affairs Bureau Director, follow-up measures to the amendment of the Criminal Procedure Act by the Planning and Coordination Officer, and plans for advancing police reform by the Head of the Autonomous Police Planning Task Force.

To renew the response system for missing persons cases, the plan is to review and improve the entire process from initial report, search and investigation, to management and oversight, so that, as in the case of the Jeju missing persons incident, cases are not handled carelessly or neglected. The soon-to-be-formed police reform task force will broadly review not only organizational structure and systems but also workplace practices and culture. The goal is to diagnose the entire command and supervisory structure at its roots.

It was also made clear that responsibility for organizational renewal lies with the leadership, not with frontline officers. Acting Commissioner Kim emphasized, "We will do our utmost for every single report and will not turn a blind eye to even one person’s grievance. We will make sure that no citizen’s call to the police goes unanswered due to irresponsibility. We will not pass responsibility onto colleagues who quietly safeguard the public’s lives and safety in the field, and we will build an organization where everyone can work confidently with conviction."

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