Prime Minister Han Seong-sook said Thursday that any police reform body reviewing the entire organization should probably be set up outside the police in Seoul. Her remarks came after President Lee Jae Myung ordered preparation of a reform body following Jeju missing-person cases that exposed problems in police procedures, supervision and organizational culture. The controversy centers on the death of Jang Mi-ran, who disappeared in Jeju in May and was found dead 104 days after the initial report. Han also rejected the idea that prosecutor-led investigations always work better than police investigations.
Prime Minister Han Seong-sook speaks during a meeting aimed at improving the user interfaces and overall user experience of government websites at Government Complex Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap
Prime Minister Han Seong-sook hinted Thursday at establishing a special external body to pursue structural and governance reforms within the police following serious failures in the case of a woman missing for months before she was found dead on Jeju Island this week.
“Internal reform will, of course, be necessary within the police, but if the body is intended to examine the organization as a whole, I do not think it would be appropriate to establish it within the police,” Han said during a press briefing at Government Complex Seoul.
