17,000 South Korean Police Officers Serve Over a Decade at Same Station

Concerns over regional collusion and long-term assignments within the police force have surfaced, with over 17,000 officers below the rank of superintendent serving at the same station for more than a decade. Data obtained by Rep. Lee Sang-sik revealed that as of early May, 17,130 officers had exceeded 10 years at a single station, constituting 13.3% of all officers in those ranks.

The majority of these long-serving officers are sergeants and constables, totaling 13,906. While higher-ranking officers typically rotate nationwide annually or every few years, lower ranks often remain in the same region for over five years, leading to persistent issues of local favoritism. The average consecutive service period for constables was 8.2 years, and for sergeants, 5.4 years.

Long-term assignments are more prevalent outside Seoul. While Seoul's police force has 8.3% of officers serving over 10 years at one station, provinces like North Jeolla (23.8%), North Chungcheong (21.6%), South Chungcheong (21.1%), and North Gyeongsang (19.9%) show significantly higher rates, with nearly one in five officers staying put for over a decade.

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Long-term work together among frontline investigators, known through acquaintance, has been pointed out as a problem of collusion and corruption, but a rotational duty system can help solve the problem.

This issue gained prominence after allegations of a flawed investigation into the murder of a high school student by Jang Yoon-gi. Although the Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency, where the case occurred, has a relatively low long-term assignment rate of 2.5%, Jang's father, a sergeant, had worked at the same Gwangsan Police Station for 18 years since 1999. Furthermore, officers involved in the initial investigation had prior working relationships at the same local precinct.

In response, the police agency has formed a task force to reform investigations and is exploring expanded rotational assignments, aiming for implementation by the first half of next year. While some believe rotational duty can help resolve issues of collusion and corruption stemming from long-term relationships, others worry it could hinder the development of trust with local informants crucial for investigations.

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Criminal investigators have many informants in the region who provide investigation clues. If rotational duty is strengthened, I doubt whether trust can be formed with them.