The Korean National Police University was established in 1981 based on the Korean National Police University Establishment Act enacted on December 28, 1979. According to the Korean National Police University Establishment Act, which is the basis for t...
The Korean National Police University was established in 1981 based on the Korean National Police University Establishment Act enacted on December 28, 1979. According to the Korean National Police University Establishment Act, which is the basis for the establishment of the Korean National Police University, there are provisions for granting various benefits to students of the Korean National Police University, such as exemption from tuition, appointment as inspector, and preferential military service, thereby providing a foundation for the Korean National Police University to recruit excellent, high-level talents for the police organization and foster elite police officers. 40 years have passed since the opening of the Korean National Police University, and many police-related departments, including police administration, are newly established and maintained at four-year general universities. In a situation where the majority of police personnel are college graduates or higher, through open competitive recruitment examinations for police officers, questions cannot help but be raised about the purpose of the establishment of the Korean National Police University, which was established to foster entry-level police officers. Considering the criteria for judgment, such as the Constitutional Court’s past decisions on the unconstitutionality of hiring graduates from public and private colleges of education and the constitutionality of the abolition of the Tax College, the legitimacy of the abolition of the Korea National Police University seems sufficient. Despite the reform and innovation of Korea National the Police University during the Moon Jae-in administration in 2018, the controversy over the existence of the Korea National Police University has not yet subsided.
In this paper, we examine the main issues related to the existence of the Korea National Police University, including first, whether it conforms to the purpose of establishing the Korea National Police University; second, whether the appointment of superintendents is unfair; third, whether it causes withdrawal from the police organization; and fourth, whether it causes conflict within the police organization. We also suggest legislative policy improvement measures regarding the existence of the Korea National Police University.