A recent surge in crime in South Korea has led to the government scrambling for solutions, and one of the Yoon administration’s proposals is the reinstatement of the country’s auxiliary police force. However, logistical and political challenges render the reintroduction of the system in any long-term capacity highly improbable.

South Korea introduced the auxiliary police system in 1982, permitting conscription-age males to serve as conscripted police officers instead of entering the regular military. The Chun Doo-hwan regime implemented this system to address escalating security concerns stemming from intensified protests against Chun’s dictatorship and the elimination of a nightly curfew.