NCJ Number
204718
Journal
Journal of Criminal Justice Volume: 32 Issue: 2 Dated: March/April 2004 Pages: 113-122
Date Published
March 2004
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This study examined the causes of the recent growth and popularity of private policing in South Korea.
Abstract
In South Korea, modern private policing based upon contract services began with the creation of a new government under the auspices of the United States. The private policing industry in South Korea was used to guard U.S. military bases in the 1950's and 1960's. Most of the industrial facilities guarded by private police were also those in which American companies invested. It was not until the mid-1970's that the private policing industry began to focus on the Korean people and companies as clients. Also, the Korean Government began to show an interest in private policing in an effort to supplement the public police with the less costly operations of private police. The factors that contributed to the rapid growth of private policing are categorized as political, economic, legal, and cultural. Political stability based on democratic consolidation and legitimacy has relieved the government of having to maintain a monopoly on coercive violence. The decentralization of authority has provided a political base for the growth of private policing. Also, the dramatic economic growth and increase in personal income paved the way for the wide availability and affordability of private policing and its specialization. The changing nature of the Korean legal systems is another reason for the rapid growth of private policing, because the increase in litigation leads to the growth of private policing. Certain historical events, such as the 1988 Seoul Olympic games and the 1993 Daejeon Expo, also contributed to the increase in private policing in South Korea. Along with industrialization and urbanization, westernization brought remarkable social changes that facilitated and expanded private policing. 8 tables and 38 references