“Don’t treat us like criminals”… Police union holds joint meeting against mandatory rotational transfers

The National Police Workplace Council, a union representing South Korean police officers, is strongly opposing the government's proposed mandatory rotational transfer policy. The union argues that the plan, which mirrors a system used in the prosecution service, unfairly treats all 130,000 police officers as criminals in response to a single incident.

This opposition comes after the government announced its intention to expand mandatory regional rotations, a move prompted by corruption issues revealed in the 'Jang Yoon-gi incident.' The union held a meeting with representatives from across the country, with 165 delegates attending, to discuss their grievances and formulate a response.

Min Gwan-gi, the chairman of the police union, stated that the government's announcement on July 16th by the Minister of the Interior and Safety was met with significant backlash from officers on the ground. He emphasized that applying a blanket policy like mandatory rotational transfers to all officers based on an individual case is perceived as treating them as criminals.

The Police Agency intends to extend rotational assignments, currently focused on senior ranks like superintendents, to mid-ranking officers by the first half of next year. The stated goal is to sever ties of regional collusion. However, officers in the field are raising concerns that such rotations, based solely on rank, will disrupt their personal lives by forcing long commutes and impacting housing and childcare arrangements. They also fear it will undermine the continuity and professionalism of investigations.

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The plan to forcibly implement rotational transfers for police was announced by the Minister of the Interior and Safety on the 16th. Based on the individual case of Jang Yoon-gi, all 130,000 police officers are being treated as criminals, and there is strong opposition from field police officers to the attempt to implement mandatory rotational transfers.