South Korea's police have taken on sharply expanded investigative powers and responsibilities, but the average investigative experience of police investigators has instead declined. With more officers leaving investigative units because of heavy workloads, concerns are mounting that the outflow of skilled investigators could worsen as cases once handled by prosecutors shift to the police. Analysts say preventing an erosion of investigative capability will require more than simply adding staff — it will take changes to promotion and compensation systems that encourage specialists to stay on the job long term.
According to National Police Agency data obtained by Seoul Economic Daily through the office of Rep. Kang Myung-koo of the People Power Party on the 21st, investigators at 19 organizations — the agency's headquarters and 18 metropolitan and provincial police agencies nationwide — averaged 9.4 years of investigative experience this year. That is down 0.4 year, or 4.1%, from 9.8 years last year. Average investigative experience had risen every year from 2022 through last year, and this marks its first decline. Investigators at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency had the shortest average experience in the country at 7.9 years, down for a fourth consecutive year from 8.6 years in 2022.
While investigators' experience has shortened, the number of cases the police must handle is expected to grow. The abolition of the Prosecutors' Office and the revised Criminal Procedure Act, both effective on the 2nd of this month, broadened the scope of police investigations, leaving the police to absorb cases previously handled by prosecutors on top of their existing workload. As of August this year, police held 403,239 cases, about 92% of the 438,650 recorded for all of last year. Adding wanted-suspect and unsolved cases transferred from prosecutors, along with the burden of supplementary investigations, is expected to further increase the workload for front-line investigators. With cases rising even as average investigative experience falls, there are concerns that investigations could be delayed or poorly handled.
Reluctance to work in investigative units is also deepening. Through August this year, 633 officers voluntarily relinquished their investigative certification, already exceeding the 565 recorded for all of last year. The certification system separates specialized investigative personnel — in criminal, white-collar and forensic investigation — from general police officers. Officers who give it up can leave investigative units for other assignments. The rise in relinquishments means more officers are avoiding investigative work.
Excessive workloads are cited as a main cause. This year, monthly overtime per person in the investigative units of the 19 organizations, including agency headquarters, reached 69.5 hours, approaching 70 hours. The figure rose from 59.8 hours in 2023 to 64.9 hours in 2024 and 67.8 hours last year, and continued climbing this year. That amounts to more than three hours of overtime a day.
There is also the prospect of further departures by experienced investigators. Some investigators at the superintendent and senior inspector levels who were passed over for promotion see a move to the newly launched Serious Crimes Investigation Agency as a fresh opportunity. Law firms, responding to the expansion of police investigative powers, are also actively recruiting lawyers with police backgrounds. Officers in the field warn of a vicious cycle in which heavy workloads drive investigators out and increase the burden on those who remain.
The National Police Agency added 1,907 personnel to investigative units from last year through the first half of this year, and plans to assign about 2,100 more in the second half. But the second-half reinforcement amounts to a kind of shell game: it comes from cutting 1,040 positions from mobile units nationwide and reassigning them to investigative units.
For that reason, critics say shifting existing personnel has limits as a way to strengthen investigative capability. In particular, officers with little investigative experience need considerable time to build the expertise and know-how to handle complex cases on their own. The assessment is that rather than merely raising headcount, the government needs institutional incentives to keep experienced personnel in investigative work.
Lee Yoon-ho, a professor of police administration at Dongguk University, said expertise and know-how matter most in investigations and that reassigning mobile unit personnel to investigative units merely fills seats. "Incentives must be strengthened substantially, including expanding the number of special promotions for investigators and increasing investigative activity allowances," the professor said. Kang also said that while prosecution reform is expanding the police's investigative powers and responsibilities, skilled investigative personnel are leaving the field. "The government must draw up practical measures to improve conditions, including stronger compensation systems, so that heavy workloads are eased and experienced investigators remain in the field," the lawmaker said.