Police Take Firm Action: Dismissal or Removal for Major Investigation-Related Misconduct

National Police Commission Approves Amendment to Disciplinary Rules
Unprecedentedly Tougher Standards for Disciplinary Action on Investigation Misconduct

The police have strengthened disciplinary standards to make dismissal or removal from office the basic principle when officers commit major misconduct related to investigations. Following a recent overhaul of anti-corruption measures—which permanently exclude senior officials above the superintendent general rank from key positions if they are found guilty of serious misconduct—authorities are taking a series of tough measures to restore public trust in the police organization.

Seoul Seodaemun District Police Agency. Photo by Hyunmin Kim

On September 21, the National Police Agency announced that it held a meeting of the National Police Commission and approved a partial amendment to the detailed enforcement rules of the Police Officers Disciplinary Decree. The amendment raises the level of accountability by making dismissal or removal from office the standard disciplinary action for major investigation-related misconduct. The key revisions include: ▲ the establishment of disciplinary standards for “law distortion crimes”; ▲ stronger disciplinary actions for the acceptance of money or hospitality related to investigation duties; ▲ and tougher penalties for leaking or divulging critical investigation or crackdown information.

First, for conduct classified as “law distortion crimes”—a category newly established under the Criminal Act—the basic disciplinary action will be removal from office or dismissal. Accepting money or hospitality related to investigation or crackdown duties is also considered serious misconduct, as it undermines the fairness of investigations and directly erodes public trust in the police. For such acts, the standard penalty is also exclusion from office.

For leaks or divulgences of key investigation or crackdown information, the lower limit of disciplinary action has been raised from “demotion” to “removal from office.” The police plan to hold those responsible strictly accountable, as leaking information such as warrant issuance status, important evidence, or internal information related to wanted notices and crackdowns not only hinders the normal conduct of investigations but also threatens the rights of those involved and the fairness of the investigative process.

An official from the National Police Agency emphasized, “Going forward, the agency will respond sternly to any misconduct that undermines the fairness and accountability of police investigations and will work to establish an investigative environment that people can trust and feel secure about.”

Meanwhile, the National Police Agency recently overhauled its anti-corruption measures, expanding the previous “one-strike-out for corruption” policy to a comprehensive system where individuals guilty of serious misconduct are permanently excluded from key posts. Actions designated as serious misconduct now include: ▲ misconduct related to investigative duties; ▲ acceptance of money or hospitality; ▲ sexual misconduct; ▲ drunk driving; and ▲ power harassment. Superintendents general and above who receive heavy disciplinary action for such serious offenses will be permanently barred from serving as precinct chiefs, in investigative departments, or in audit/inspection/human rights positions.

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