"With Prosecutors' Office abolished, police need more investigators and funding... strengthen NOI independence"

Police Investigation Reform Committee announces recommendations on Nov. 2
Police investigative funding per investigator at one-third of Serious Crime Investigation Agency level
External appointments for NOI chief... stronger cybercrime investigation

With the abolition of the Prosecutors' Office increasing the police's responsibility for investigations, a recommendation has been made to expand investigative staffing and budgets. There have also been calls to strengthen the independence of the National Office of Investigation (NOI), including by making it more common to appoint an outsider as its chief, who oversees police investigations.

Kim Namjun, chair of the Police Investigation Reform Committee, announces recommendations on strengthening the independence and investigative capabilities of the National Office of Investigation at the National Police Agency in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, on the 2nd. Yonhap News Agency

On November 2, the Police Investigation Reform Committee deliberated on and approved its third set of recommendations to strengthen the NOI's independence and investigative capabilities, and announced five recommendations. They include expanding investigative staffing and budgets, strengthening the NOI's independence, restoring forensic and cybercrime investigation units, and improving the police training system.

The committee first recommended securing staffing and budgets commensurate with the police's investigative responsibilities. According to the Korean National Police Agency, as of the second half of 2026, there were 40,563 police officers assigned to investigations. An estimate of the appropriate number of investigative officers, based on a 2022 study, found that an additional 13,974 officers were needed. This is equivalent to 34.6% of the current workforce. The committee recommended recalculating staffing needs to reflect the investigative environment following the abolition of the Prosecutors' Office and increasing personnel in phases.

The committee also said the investigative budget should be increased. Based on the government's proposed budget for 2027, annual Specific Activity Expenses and Special Activity Expenses per investigative officer were KRW 4.49 million for the police and KRW 13.76 million for the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency, a difference of about 3.1 times. The committee recommended establishing a reasonable standard for allocating investigative budgets by comprehensively considering the number and complexity of cases handled by each agency, as well as actual workloads.

The committee also put forward measures to enhance the NOI's independence. These include making it more common to appoint an outsider as NOI chief and tightening qualification requirements, such as investigative experience, when appointing someone from within the police. It also recommended expanding the chief's authority so that they can have a substantive role in personnel decisions and budget planning for investigative officers. The committee said the current NOI chief has insufficient authority over personnel and budgets, despite directing and supervising police investigations overall.

Hong Seokgi, chief of the National Office of Investigation at the Korean National Police Agency. Yonhap News.

The committee also recommended strengthening forensic investigation units. One proposed measure is to establish a forensic investigation planning director position directly under the NOI chief and reinstate forensic investigation divisions at metropolitan and provincial police agencies. It recommended increasing specialist staff and equipment and standardizing forensic investigation procedures. It also called for consideration of expanding the function over the long term into an independent, dedicated unit, such as a National Forensic Investigation Bureau.

The committee recommended reinstating the Cyber Investigation Bureau as well. According to the committee, while overall crime increased by 12% over the past five years, cybercrime rose by 65% and accounted for about 22.5% of all crime. However, it said that specialized responses had become more difficult after the Cyber Investigation Bureau was abolished in 2023 and cybercrime investigation teams at local police stations were reorganized into integrated investigation teams the following year. The committee therefore recommended restoring the Cyber Investigation Bureau under the NOI and reestablishing dedicated cybercrime units at local police stations. It also called for expanding specialist staffing and strengthening international cooperation.

The recommendations also included ways to improve the police training system. These include strengthening criminal law instruction and practical assessments so that new police officers can respond to real cases, and expanding mock investigations using case files and field training. The committee also recommended shortening the retraining cycle for investigative officers, which is currently about six years. The proposals also call for expanding certification and awards for specialists, including senior investigative officers.

A Korean National Police Agency official said, "We fully agree with the committee's recommendations to strengthen police investigative capabilities. We will carefully assess the feasibility of implementing the specific proposals, draw up detailed implementation plans and schedules, and report them to the committee." The official added, "We will also actively consider whether to adopt other proposals currently under further review by the committee and implement them promptly once recommendations are finalized."

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