Police chief says rise in female recruits would not affect operational readiness A person preparing for the police officer exam trains in the physical fitness room of Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency on Dec. 30, 2025. (Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency) Women accounted for 37.8 percent of successful applicants in this year’s police recruitment exam, nearly doubling their share of around 20 percent under the previous gender quota system, the Korean National Police Agency said Tuesday.Of 29,972 applicants, 2,941 passed the exam, including 1,829 men (62.2 percent) and 1,112 women (37.8 percent), according to the agency.Police officials attributed the increase in female recruits to the removal of gender-specific hiring limits. It was the first recruitment round conducted since the agency abolished its previous gender-segregated hiring system, under which men and women were considered separately.“Competition among female applicants was much more intense under the (previous) quota system,” acting KNPA Chief Yoo Jae-sung said in a press briefing Tuesday.Under the new system, however, the share of successful male and female candidates largely mirrored the gender composition of the applicant pool, he added.Along with abolishing gender quotas, the agency introduced a new recruitment process this year, including revisions to the physical fitness test, to apply uniform standards to all applicants.Instead of the previous five-event assessment, which included sit-ups and pull-ups, candidates were required to complete a standardized obstacle course within four minutes and 40 seconds while wearing a 4.2-kilogram weighted vest. All applicants were evaluated under identical criteria regardless of gender.Asked whether the sharp increase in female recruits could affect field operations, Yoo said the agency would review institutional measures if operational challenges emerge.Yoo said that female officers currently make up 16.7 percent of the police force and said the agency would continue monitoring the effects of the new recruitment system.