NCJ Number
189017
Journal
Crime & Justice International Volume: 17 Issue: 50 Dated: March 2001 Pages: 5-6,24
Date Published
March 2001
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This review of Korean police history divides it into six stages.
Abstract
The first stage was pre-modern policing before 1894 reform. Historians agree that in ancient Korea, policing was a communal duty to protect the village and community members, similar to England and elsewhere during the same era. The second stage was between the 1894 reform and the 1904 Japanese occupation. The reform and modernization of policing in this period was to pave the way for Japan's colonization of Chosun. Some of the notable incidents in this period were the introduction of the term "police" and the separation of the organization and function of the police from military and general government administration. The third stage was Japanese colonial policing until 1945 independence. During the 36 years of Japanese occupation, the most effective tool for the colonial government in suppressing and controlling the people and society of the Korean Peninsula was the police, including the fierce and notorious Military Police. The fourth stage was the American military governance from 1945 through 1948. During this period, the communist Russian Army marched into the northern part of Korea, and the capitalist United States Army entered the southern part, with both nations claiming to be the savior of the Korean people. The remaining two stages were the politicization of the police prior to the 1991 Police Act and the emergence of independent/paramilitary policing until the end of the 20th century. 6 notes and 9 references