Recently, a recommendation from the Ministry of Public Administration and Security’s Police System Improvement Advisory Committee was announced that a ‘police support organization’ should be created within the Ministry of Public Administration and Security. However, it faced criticism that it would become a ‘control’ organization rather than ‘support’. It is argued that this is similar to the days of the Ministry of Home Affairs Security Headquarters, which was controlled by power before democratization. Coincidentally, before and after the announcement of the recommendation, the Minister of the Interior and Safety had interviews with promoted officers, the highest level of the police, and even the appointment of the chief security officer was overturned, raising suspicions about this.
However, the reality is that such criticism has not been well-received by public opinion. In 1991, it formally became independent as the National Police Agency, but since then, the power has been frequently overlooked. The NIS comment case, Vice Minister Lee Yong-gu assaulted a taxi driver, etc. As a result of the coverage, it was revealed that there is a hole in the ‘Investigation Examiner’ system, which was introduced to the police after the investigative power was expanded through the adjustment of the police investigation authority. Therefore, it is pointed out that what is needed is not the ‘control’ of a higher-level institution mentioned in the recommendation, but an independent organization that can ‘monitor and check’. met with Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min and heard his position in person.
Investigation of 1,200 major pardons in history… “What is the trial for?”
The amnesty of former President Lee Myung-bak has emerged as a political issue. Key aides to President Yoon Seok-yeol have been lucky, and the president is also positive. The media is also taking steps to create an atmosphere. So far, a total of 108 amnesty has been granted in Korea, and more than 3 million people have been pardoned by special special envoys on Liberation Day.
Among them, 1,200 major pardoned persons were investigated. There were special special envoys for national holidays, as well as special special envoys to commemorate the President’s 80th birthday and the 5.16 military coup d’etat. Politicians account for the most at 29%, businessmen at 22%, and high-ranking officials at 19%. Aides were released one after another. All 32 chaebol heads were pardoned 41 times, and it took only 444 days to be pardoned. Some high-ranking public officials were pardoned within five days of the court’s judgment, and in some cases, the trial was canceled because of a special pardon before the trial. A judge’s appeal mixed with anger: “Why is there a law and what is a trial for?” He investigated whether the amnesty system was absolutely necessary and whether there were any measures to prevent abuse.
