On Police Day, President Lee Says Reality of Growing Public Anxiety Must Be Taken Seriously
President Lee Jae-myung said at the 81st Police Day ceremony held at the Korean National Police Agency in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, on the 21st that the reality in which public trust in the police has been shaken and anxiety has grown due to a string of acquaintance crimes (crimes committed between people who know each other) and crimes with unclear motives must be taken seriously. The president then asked how the police must change for the public to trust them again.
President Lee emphasized that responses to acquaintance crimes and random crimes must undergo a fundamental shift from reacting after the fact to preventing them in advance. "We must come up with exceptional measures to detect early warning signs of crime and prevent harm," he said, also calling for adherence to the golden time in missing persons cases and close cooperation among related agencies at disaster scenes.
"No one should be able to evade the law because they hold power, nor should anyone face unfair treatment because they are weak," President Lee said, adding that the police must respond resolutely to crimes that strip citizens of their property and legitimate opportunities and must not be swayed by any external pressure or vested interests. He ordered strict investigations into jeonse deposit fraud, investment scams, and the fraudulent receipt of government subsidies.
President Lee Jae-myung said, "While blocking improper external interference, the investigative process and outcomes must be rigorously reviewed," calling for strengthening the substantive role of the National Police Commission and establishing mechanisms to independently oversee police investigations. He also stressed, "The police must work closely with related agencies such as the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials and the Investigation Headquarters for Major Crimes and take every necessary measure without gaps, so that no vacuum or public harm arises from the absence of supplementary investigative authority."
He added that trust in the police will grow even stronger when wrongdoing is honestly acknowledged and corrected.
