[5] The first Korean Director of the National Police Department was Chough Pyung-ok, with his term beginning on 21 October.

[12] On 25 June 1950, around 3:00 AM, a police officer of Gangneung city, Jeon Daeuk, became the first combat casualty of the Korean War.

At the same time, as part of the reforms for the organizations of the National Security Headquarter, police abolished the Director General for Public Peace and Defense and installed the first, the second, the third department.

[12] In this period, South Korea president Park Chung-hee assumed dictatorial power in the October Restoration and took emergency measures.

An Boeng-ha, Commissioner General of the Jeonnam Provincial Police Agency, rejected the order of the military regime to shoot citizens.

[23] He was removed from his position and tortured by the Army Counterintelligence Corps (today the Defense Security Command).

[12] In 1987, Park Jong-chol, the president of the student council in the linguistics department of Seoul National University, was detained during an investigation into against Chun Doo-hwan's dictatorship and the aftermath of the 1980 Gwangju Massacre activities.

[24] Due to this movement, called the June Struggle, the military regime of President Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo acceded to the key demands of direct presidential elections and restoration of civil liberties.

[12] On 8 August 1996, the National Police Agency and the affiliated organizations were reorganized (Presidential Decree No.

[29] For this reason, the Korean National Police Agency and the affiliated organizations (Presidential Decree No.

[12] The Korean National Police Agency consists of one Deputy Commissioner General, eight bureaus, nine offices and thirty-two divisions.

The Spokesperson (Director for Public Relations Division) is directly attached to the Commissioner General of the police.

As of 2019[update], Tourist Police centers were set up in the Seoul Myeongdong, Dongdaemun, and Itaewon, Busan Nampo-dong, Incheon International Airport.

Its members primarily dealt with counterintelligence, but their duties were quickly expanded to include riot policing.

Now, the police instead use modern tactical clear plastic shields and deploy high-powered water cannons to minimize civilian injuries.

[citation needed] Instances of police brutality have in the past been raised against the South Korean anti-riot units in particular by the Asian Human Rights Commission, citing police actions of a "brutal and violent manner" that cause the deaths of protesters, including Jeon Young-Cheol on 24 November 2005.

The police force themselves reported that 117 officers were injured in a confrontation with 70 protesters, after being hit "with shards of broken bottles and flower vases".

[42] The symbol of the Korean National Police (KNP), which was newly created on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of their founding in 2006, takes the shape of Steller's sea eagle flying up to the sky with holding the rose of Sharon.

Steller's sea eagle, the scales on the neck, and the rose of Sharon represents "police", "balance" and "the state and the people" respectively.

The taegeuk sign in the middle of the rose of Sharon is the origin of all things and signifies "the Republic of Korea and its people"[43] The badge consists of two overlapping circles.

[45] Newly commissioned officers are appointed as Policeman Assistant(순경시보) for a one-year probationary period.

Officers of the KNPA, like most police forces, wear uniforms to deter crime by establishing a visible presence while on patrol, to make themselves easily identifiable to non-police officers or to their colleagues who require assistance, and to quickly identify each other at crime scenes for ease of coordination.

[53] The autonomous police system has already been in effect on Jeju Island since 2006, and starting this year, it will be piloted in five cities and provinces, including Seoul and Sejong, and will gradually expand nationwide and go into full operation in 2020.

[54] In 1990, first debate of revision of investigation authority was started, but adjustment failed by gap of the Police and Prosecutors' Office.

In 2011, revision of criminal procedure law recognized the authority of start and processing investigation to Police office, but executive order of investigation authority range of prosecutor reinforced power to prosecutor office.

[58] In 2019, the Seoul International National Commissioner General Conference was opened on the same day as the agency's 74-year anniversary.

[59][60] In addition, the Korean National Police has exchange agreements with European and North American law enforcement agencies.

[citation needed] South Korea has a lower crime rate than comparable industrialized countries.

[63] South Korea is considered one of the world's safest tourist destinations, with low crime rates and essentially no history of terrorist activity other than by the North.

[64] By this system, South Korean successfully and safely opened international events like the 2018 Winter Olympics.