Police to cut 181 staff and shift riot units to public safety

The police said Friday it will reduce its affiliated institutions' workforce by 181 Grade 8 officials and extend the tenure of five other positions until July 31, 2028, under a revised organizational rule promulgated by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.

The revision cuts specific affiliated staff from 867 to 686 and general service grades from 5,234 to 5,053. Administrative secretaries drop from 1,672 to 1,491, while industrial or facility secretaries rise slightly from 54 to 57. The overall headcount for the agency and its affiliates falls from 135,339 to 135,158.

The agency also announced a strategic shift to deploy mobile riot police units to crime prevention and disaster management duties when not required for crowd control. A dedicated task force led by the vice commissioner will oversee the transition. To support these changes, the force plans to revise safety manuals and expand equipment to prevent secondary accidents during traffic collision investigations.

"We will transform the system for responding to assemblies and demonstrations and managing police resources," the Korean National Police Agency said in a statement. The agency outlined a broader policy direction centered on three goals: a democratic police force, trusted investigations, and community-focused policing, comprising 39 policy tasks and 127 practical action items.