Editorials
Police chief post vacant for 22 months amid violent crime surge
Concerns about a nearly two-year vacancy at the top of Korea's police agency are intensifying after a string of violent crimes exposed failures to protect victims.
Acting National Police Agency Commissioner General Kim Jong-cheol speaks to media at the scene of a stabbing rampage at a building in Guwol-dong, Namdong District, Incheon, on the afternoon of Oct. 13. Kim is the third acting police chief since the current administration took office. Nine people were injured in the attack, including one who was taken to a hospital unresponsive.
NEWS1
Public anxiety is mounting over a succession of violent crimes across Korea. On Oct. 13, a stabbing rampage at a shopping complex in Incheon injured eight people. One woman, hospitalized after being found unresponsive at the scene, remains unconscious.
On Monday, a woman in her 40s was murdered in a stalking case on Jeju Island, while a missing child whose disappearance police reportedly mishandled was found dead. A day earlier, a man allegedly murdered his mother-in-law and abducted his wife in Seoul's Songpa District.
Concerns about investigative gaps following the abolition of the prosecution service, which left police with virtually complete investigative authority, appear to be materializing.
More troubling are the weaknesses in public safety systems exposed by these cases. Electronic ankle monitors and emergency smartwatches failed to prevent violence. Despite victims' repeated reports, inadequate police responses left them unprotected.
The Incheon suspect committed his attack while wearing an ankle monitor, after meeting a Justice Ministry probation officer for supervision earlier that day. Last month, he was booked for allegedly carrying a weapon during a one-person protest outside a hospital. When he was questioned on Oct. 6, police merely confiscated the weapon and released him.
The victims in the Jeju and Songpa cases had repeatedly reported stalking or domestic violence and carried emergency smartwatches. Neither measure saved them, despite warnings that the authorities had received beforehand.
These failures threaten public safety. Yet the position of National Police Agency commissioner general has remained vacant for 22 months, without a convincing explanation.
The unprecedented vacancy has fueled speculation that the administration prefers an acting commissioner, who may be easier to control than a chief with a legally guaranteed term.
Now operating under its third acting commissioner, the agency faces mounting concerns about professional competence and weakened internal oversight even as its powers expand. How can police manage the enormous investigative workload transferred from the abolished prosecution service without permanent leadership?
At a meeting with senior presidential aides on Wednesday, President Lee Jae Myung called for extraordinary measures against violent crime, urging officials to act with the determination to declare war on serious offenses.
He demanded an interagency response body and effective measures to protect victims.
But appointing a permanent police chief is more urgent than mobilizing every available government resource. Stronger protection requires leadership capable of coordinating investigations, holding officers accountable and responding promptly to warnings.
The administration cannot credibly promise public safety while leaving the country's principal law enforcement agency without a permanent leader. Filling that vacancy should be its immediate priority, not another promise.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
