Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min said on the 25th that a meeting of police chiefs opposing the establishment of the Ministry of Public Administration and Security was held.
Minister Lee held a briefing at the annex of the government complex in Seoul on the same day and said, “I express my deep regret that misunderstandings and distortions regarding the purpose and background of the establishment of the police station have accumulated, leading to an unprecedented situation called the General Superintendent’s Meeting.”
He said, “It is very inappropriate for the police chief, who is in charge of the police station, to take collective action while distorting the background and purpose of the establishment of the police station and referring to the organization and task that has not been created, and the public security task. You have to take it seriously,” he said. “The police can possess physical force, coercion, and even weapons, so it is very dangerous to arbitrarily gather in one place and hold a meeting,” he said.
He also explained the scope and background of the police department’s work. He said, “The new police station is clearly different from the Public Security Headquarters, which directly performed public security affairs in the past, and does not perform the public security affairs stipulated in Article 34 of the Government Organization Act, which is a problem in the opposition, etc. It is to have the minimum organization and manpower necessary to carry out the duties specified by the duties and responsibilities,” he explained.
“There is no other country in the world where the police are independent, such as the German and French police are also controlled by the Ministry of the Interior,” he said. The police have no choice but to become the fourth police department, which is completely independent from the judiciary, legislative branch and executive branch,” he added.
Reporter Jang Kang-ho [email protected]
