Individual Corruption

The Korean police are perceived as the second most corrupt institution in the country, as indicated by Transparency International's Global Corruption Barometer 2010. According to Global Integrity 2009, the police as a public institution are not considered to be very effective by the population, and it is also reported that the police sometimes solicit bribes from citizens. Nevertheless, only a small percentage of the households surveyed in Transparency International’s Global Corruption Barometer 2010 who had contact with the police in 2009 reported having paid a bribe.

According to a February 2010 news article by The Korea Times, as an effort to combat corruption within the police force, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency announced that it would monitor telephone call records of police officers, as it is believed that some police officers are being paid illegally for leaking tips before raids, or for being lenient towards suspects of crime.

Business Corruption

The World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness Report 2010-2011 reveals that companies identify Korea as performing inadequately in relation to the reliability of police services in protecting them from crime. Similarly, according to Transparency International’s Bribe Payers Index 2008, business executives surveyed perceived the police as one of the most corruption-prone institutions in Korea.

Some companies report paying protection money to the police as a necessary business expense. According to Transparency International's National Integrity Systems 2006, gambling halls in Pusan, the second largest city in Korea, paid a monthly average of KRW 20 million in bribes to 17 police officers of their district police stations and also paid a monthly average of KRW 1 million in bribes to eight prosecutors of their district prosecutor's offices.

Political Corruption

A bribery scandal broke out in January 2011 that involves former National Police Agency Commissioner Kang Hee-rak, and former Korea Coast Guard Commissioner Lee Gil-beom, who were accused of taking bribes from a businessman, Yu. According to a 2011 news article by Joongang Daily, Yu admitted to giving Kang KRW 100 million to promote police officers who helped him win a number of cafeteria contracts. Yu also admitted that tens of millions of KRW was given to Lee in return for assisting him with cafeteria contracts. According to the same source, both officers pleaded not guilty.

According to Global Integrity 2009, appointments to the law enforcement agency are often made based on non-professional criteria, and party loyalties may be considered in some cases. Furthermore, the law enforcement agency is not entirely protected from political interference, and it is sometimes influenced in its investigations and enforcement actions by political incentives, including negative incentives such as governmental criticism.

Frequency

World Economic Forum: The Global Competitiveness Report 2010-2011:
- Business executives give the reliability of Korean police services to enforce law and order a score of 4.7 on a 7-point scale (1 'cannot be relied upon at all' and 7 'can always be relied upon').

Transparency International: Global Corruption Barometer 2010:
- 21.91% of households surveyed consider the police to be 'extremely corrupt'.

- 3.2% of households who had contact with the police in 2009 report to have paid a bribe.

- Citizens give the police a score of 3.7 on a 5-point scale (1 being 'not at all corrupt' and 5 'extremely corrupt').

Transparency International: Bribe Payers Index 2008:
- Business executives give the police a score of 3.4 on a 5-point scale (1 being 'not at all corrupt' and 5 'extremely corrupt').

The World Bank & IFC: Enterprise Surveys 2005:
- 3.5% of companies surveyed identify crime, theft and disorder as a major constraint on doing business.