North Korean Refugees SAFETY: South Korean Security Police to Verify the Difference in Empowerment, Working Periods

Purpose: Empirical research was conducted on the Korean security police by verifying the difference between the total working period of the police and the working period of the security department. Method: In this study, among police officers in the security department as of 2020 who had experience in work related North Korean defectors, 100 trainees in the Police Human Resources Development Institute were surveyed via self-administration method. Among the collected survey questionnaires, 91 were selected as valid samples, excluding those whose answers were incomplete or missing. Results: The differences in impressions according to the total length of service for the police were significant in Q-8, Q-11, Q-12, Q-13, Q-14, Q-15, Q-16, Q-17, Q-18, Q-19, and Q-20. Also, the differences in the impressions of security officers over their working periods were significant in Q-8, Q-14, Q-18, Q-19, and Q-20. Conclusion: efforts to improve the working environment and organizational culture must be made to improve the importance of police activities. Furthermore, measures for psychological and economic stability of police officials must be taken together to ensure a long working period. This will not only help improve the national security services but also improve crime prevention and response activities for the safety of the people.