Chung Jom-sig, a lawmaker of the People Power Party, called on President Lee Jae-myung to appoint a national police commissioner, saying the post has remained vacant. "Pressing and scolding the police while calling for police reform is not all a president should do," he said.
Chung, the floor leader, wrote on Facebook on the 21st that "on Police Day, President Lee Jae-myung should first explain why on earth he is not appointing a permanent national police commissioner and is keeping an acting chief in place."
He stressed that rank-and-file officers should not be blamed for the recent surge in public criticism of the police over cases including the Jang Yun-gi murder and the false closure of a missing-person case in Jeju Special Self-Governing Province.
"The responsibility lies with a small number of bad officers, a police leadership too busy currying favor with those in power, and politicians who imposed excessive duties on the police without adequate measures or staffing," Chung said. "It is not the fault of the vast majority of dedicated officers."
He added that "the police have already suffered from an overload of work because of the flood of criminal complaints that poured in after the Moon Jae-in administration's 2021 realignment of investigative powers between prosecutors and police." He said, "With prosecutors' direct supplementary investigations abolished entirely on Oct. 2, there is concern that the burden on the police will grow even heavier."
"The people who created conditions that make it hard for the police to focus on their core duties are elsewhere, yet the arrows of criticism seem to be raining down on officers in the field, and that troubles me," he said. "I want to express my respect and gratitude to all the officers who are fighting crime and protecting public safety even at this moment."