National Police Agency

Rule Changes

Source of the drunk-driving statistics behind the policy

South Korean alcohol bottles have carried health warnings for about 30 years, always as text on the back. From Nov. 9, 2026, they must also warn that drunk driving endangers the drinker and everyone else, and for the first time the warning can be a picture rather than a sentence.

Updated 1 hour ago

Rule Changes

Drafted and promoted the bill

Japan's Cabinet approved a bill on Oct. 16 that would let police reach into smartphones used by 'tokuryu' crime groups, whose leaders direct robberies and phone scams through encrypted apps like Signal and Telegram. With a judge's warrant, officers could copy data off a device over the internet to find victims' names and addresses before a crime happens. Only designated specialists could run the analysis, unrelated data must be deleted, and the phone's user must be told afterward.

Updated Oct 26

Rule Changes

As of May 2026: Leadership reshuffled after court removal of commissioner general

South Korea just made the quiet part of the 2024 martial-law crisis unmistakably loud: the country's top police officer is out for good. On December 18, 2025, the Constitutional Court removed National Police Agency chief Cho Ji-ho, ruling he helped former President Yoon Suk Yeol's power grab by using police to block lawmakers from reaching the National Assembly floor.

Updated May 15