[National Journalists Association] National Detective Agency (Chairman Yoo Woo-jong)(www.fpicenter.org) On the 5th, the 'Detective Day 1st Anniversary' event was held at the central conference room in Nonhyeon-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. 

'Detective Day' marks the one year since 'Detective Day' was declared on August 5th last year, as the Credit Information Business Act was revised to allow the use of names such as detective and informant. It is a day established by the National Detective Agency.

The event was held online due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, the minimum number of people, including former Gyeongbuk Provincial Police Agency Chief Kim Byeong-cheol and former National Intelligence Service Director Lee In-soo, attended.

Modern society is becoming more intelligent and advanced as crime increases. Crime breaks up families, disrupts society, and puts the country in danger. The role of a detective is to protect the people's rights and personal property from crime in areas beyond the reach of public power. It plays a role in creating a healthy society and creating a virtuous cycle in society. 

Detective law in most OECD countries. The Private Investigation Business Act has been institutionalized. Currently, only Korea has not institutionalized the law. Currently, the title ‘Detective’ is used in accordance with the Credit Information Business Act.

▲Urgent need to introduce detective law

The detective law is a pledge of President Moon Jae-in. However, the ‘Detective Act’ has not been passed.

In advanced countries such as the United States and Japan, a detective system is in operation. Detectives with certain qualifications are responsible for finding lost people or investigating creditworthiness. Even when a company transacts, a detective can check whether the other party to the transaction is a fraudster. Additionally, it is the detective's job to find the assets of con artists who have fled abroad. There is not enough manpower for public authorities to do this kind of work. So I leave it to the detective. 

Central Chairman Yoo Woo-jong promoted the institutionalization of the PI Act, the ‘Private Investigation Business Act’, which is called the first detective law in Korea. 

In 2000, he and former member of the 16th National Assembly Ha Soon-bong pushed for the institutionalization of the ‘Certified Detective’ Act. It ended without a single public hearing being held. In the 17th National Assembly, former National Assembly member Lee Sang-bae pushed for the enactment of the ‘Private Investigation Business Act’. At the time, an 'Expert Meeting for Enactment of the Private Investigation Business Act' was held hosted by former lawmaker Choi Jae-cheon of the ruling Uri Party. In the 18th and 19th National Assembly, Chairman Yoo also strives to propose a private investigation business law. However, it is often canceled due to problems with the prosecution and police oversight agencies. The police argue that if detectives are legalized, police-related work will increase and the police should supervise them, while the prosecution argues that the supervision of detectives should be placed under the Ministry of Justice to prevent collusion with the police. Chairman Yoo suggests that it should be under the jurisdiction of the Prime Minister's Office or local governments, and that the prosecution and police should supervise under the same rules.

Chairman Yoo said, "A detective is an expert who investigates only the facts. Traffic accidents, fire detection, identification of murder cases, property investigation, identification of people's whereabouts, identification of signatures, handwriting analysis, forensic analysis, DNA analysis, corporate corruption investigation, etc. are part of our business." He added, "With the revision of the Credit Information Business Act last year, the use of the name detective has become possible, and unqualified detective companies are springing up. Even ex-convicts and sex offenders who are not eligible for the detective business are being sprung up." He said, “There is an urgent need to enact laws to block unfit people with moral defects who are entering the detective business.”

In fact, as former police officers with a history of corruption are entering the detective industry, there are concerns that the detective industry could become a group that threatens society. It is pointed out that there is an urgent need to establish a legal system to control detective business registration through a proven program.

Meanwhile, Japan's Detective Day is May 21st. It is a day established by the Detective Association. May 21, 1891, was the first time in Asia that a detective advertisement was published in the Asahi Shimbun. The 'Iwai Saburo Office', which later became the motif of the animation <Detective Conan>, was established in 1895 as Asia's first detective company. Outside of public power, at the private level, the German Siemens Navy bribery case, the detection of Chinese spies during the First Sino-Japanese War, and the Date Junnosuke incident are resolved. Japanese animation distributors and related production companies hold events such as discounts on various goods to celebrate Detective Day.

The National Detective Agency announced its ambition to create a detective village in Hamyang-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do next year, when the COVID-19 pandemic ends, and to create various events with domestic film and animation companies, like Japan's 'Detective Day'.