President Lee: "Police Must Bear in Mind Their Responsibility Has Grown"

President Lee attends Police Day ceremony on Oct. 21
"Misconduct by a few and inadequate responses can undermine the entire organization"

On the occasion of Police Day on the 21st, President Lee Jaemyung urged the police to “keep in mind that their responsibility has grown even greater as their authority has become more consequential than ever following a sweeping overhaul of the criminal justice system that had been in place for more than 70 years.” He also stressed to the police that “it is your responsibility and role, as officers on the ground, to ensure that the public’s concerns do not become reality.”

President Lee made the remarks, saying, “We must take seriously the reality that public trust in the police is wavering and public anxiety is growing amid a recent string of relationship-based crimes and crimes with abnormal motives targeting unspecified members of the public.”

South Korean President Lee Jaemyung delivers commemorative remarks at a ceremony marking the 81st Police Day at the National Police Agency in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, on Oct. 21, 2026. Yonhap News Agency

President Lee attended the 81st Police Day ceremony at the National Police Agency in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, that day and delivered his message. In particular, he stressed that “we must always be mindful that the misconduct of a small number of officers and inadequate responses can undermine the trust and reputation of the entire organization.”

“Public trust cannot be restored with words,” President Lee said. “You must make a determined effort to show that things have changed on the ground, so the public can feel that change.” He added, “You must take an active role in reform by taking a clear-eyed look at what has fallen short and boldly correcting misguided practices and systems.” He also said, “When wrongdoing comes to light, it must be acknowledged honestly and addressed.”

His remarks appeared to refer to cases in which the police faced fierce public criticism over a lack of investigative capacity while responding to relationship-based crimes such as stalking and to missing-person cases. In late August, when it emerged that Jang Miran had died after a shoddy police investigation and a false case closure, President Lee also reprimanded the police, saying, “Problems with lax discipline in the police and irresponsibility in maintaining public safety are emerging as quite serious issues.” Kim Jong-cheol, then acting commissioner general of the Korean National Police Agency, bowed his head and said, “I offer my apologies and express my remorse.”

To restore public trust in the police, President Lee called for “extraordinary measures to detect early warning signs of crime and prevent harm, and for every effort to be made to prevent crime.” He said that the police “must make a major shift from responding after the fact to preventing crimes in advance, both in cases of relationship-based crimes such as stalking and indiscriminate crimes against members of the public.” On missing-person cases, he said, “We must not miss the golden hour.”

President Lee also said the police “must respond firmly to crimes that deprive people of their property and legitimate opportunities, and must not be swayed by any outside pressure or vested interests.” Referring to crimes such as rental-deposit fraud and improper receipt of benefits, he said, “Crimes that deprive hardworking people of opportunities and undermine trust in the community must be investigated rigorously.” He instructed the police to “track down and recover illegal proceeds to the very end, and address loopholes in the system uncovered during investigations so that the same crimes are not repeated.”

President Lee said, “I hope you will strengthen the National Police Commission’s substantive role and establish a mechanism for independently reviewing police investigations.” He stressed that the police must “work closely with relevant agencies, including the Prosecution Office and the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency (SCIA), and take all necessary measures without fail to prevent gaps or harm to the public resulting from the lack of supplementary investigative powers.”

President Lee reiterated that “improving laws and systems is only a necessary condition, not a sufficient one,” adding, “I hope the police will do more than simply expand their authority and ensure that it is used fully to protect the lives and fundamental rights of the public.”

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