Police face a test of time in major investigations

The word “time” surfaced repeatedly during a recent conversation with a police official. The first phrase mentioned was “the police’s time.” A number of major cases now rest with the police, including the Coupang personal data breach, allegations of a cover-up in the industrial accident that killed the late Jang Deok-jun, suspicions of nomination-related donations involving Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Kim Byung-kee and independent lawmaker Kang Sun-woo, and cases slated for transfer to three special prosecutors. With most major investigations expected to remain under police jurisdiction until the Serious Crimes Investigation Office is launched in October, the phrase is likely to remain relevant for at least the next nine months.

The second phrase was “the time for investigations,” a theme recently raised by a senior police official. The expression can be read in several ways, but it broadly refers to a period in which investigations must uncover the truth or demonstrate the police’s investigative capacity. As allegations first raised through media reports have moved into the formal investigative stage through criminal complaints, the remark sounded like a call for the police to pursue these cases with full commitment.

Whether this period for police investigations is unfolding smoothly remains an open question. The probe into allegations that the Unification Church provided money and valuables to politicians from both the ruling and opposition parties has shifted to a joint investigation headquarters led by Kim Tae-hoon, chief of the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office. The police produced a concrete result by uncovering alleged split donations with statutes of limitations nearing expiration and securing the indictment of Song Kwang-seok, former chairman of the Universal Peace Federation, an affiliate of the Unification Church. That step also suspended the statute of limitations for alleged accomplices, including Unification Church leader Han Hak-ja. Public attention, however, remains focused less on that outcome than on investigations involving current and former politicians, including Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Jeon Jae-soo.

Frustration grew after it was revealed that Kim Kyung, a Seoul city council member accused of delivering 100 million won to Kang’s side under the guise of nomination-related donations, had already left the country. It may be understandable that police had no opportunity to consider measures such as a travel ban, given that the case was assigned on the day of his departure. Questions remain over why investigators waited until Jan. 13, more than three months after a complaint was filed last October, to question the complainant in a case alleging efforts to recruit followers of a specific religious group to support Prime Minister Kim Min-seok in the upcoming Seoul mayoral primary. It is also difficult to understand why no investigation was launched after police received a petition last November concerning allegations that Kim’s wife accepted and later returned 30 million won.

The final reference to time came from an investigator in a division of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency. He said most days begin around 8 a.m. and often extend past 10 p.m. In a dual-income household, he worries whether he can properly care for his child, who has not yet started school. He said this concern weighs on him as heavily as the pressure to conduct investigations effectively. With major cases drawing national attention concentrated within metropolitan investigation units, many other officers likely face similar challenges. A shortage of physical time can directly affect the quality of investigative outcomes.

The police said they plan to reduce personnel in other areas and recruit and deploy 1,300 new officers to strengthen investigative capacity. Whether increasing staffing alone will allow these different dimensions of time to align as intended remains uncertain. Balancing the challenges of expanded staffing while maintaining investigative quality is no simple task.

Public attention is focused on whether the police can thoroughly investigate so-called power-related crimes and deliver results the public will accept. The time to show results is approaching.