The Report on Human Rights Situation in the Republic of Korea Also, the Commissioner asked the police officers to ‘boldly use physical force necessary for the actions that threaten the people’s life and safety,‘ on Nov. 24. In the “Field Responsiveness Strengthening Plan” released by the National Police Agency on Dec. 30, the use of firearms (handguns and Tasers) by the police increased almost 2 times, from 35.2 cases to 68.9 cases, per month on average. On the other hand, the police changed the term ‘personal protection’ to ‘safety measures for the crime victims’ in the “Field Responsiveness Strengthening Plan.” The police stated that the “term personal protection can be understood as a close escort and do not include the diverse protective measures of the police.” The police also included plans to introduce and develop additional equipment and the proactive execution of the laws, etc. However, civic organizations raised criticism during the process of amending the ‘Act on the Performance of Duties by Police Officers.’23) The previous two cases were criticized for the polices’ wrongful response, and it is improper to try to reduce the police officers’ criminal liabilities. D) Strengthening the Polices’ Ability to “Protect the People” The key duties of the police is to ‘protect the people’s life and body.‘ Moreover, human rights violation from police actions occur frequently, as well. Therefore, today’s police are required to achieve both ‘protecting the people’s lives and body,‘ as well as ’minimize the human rights violations from the use of excessive police power.‘ Preventing crimes is the best method of protecting the people’s lives, body and property, and the police should try to minimize the loss through quick response if a crime has occurred already. However, the two cases at the end of 2021 showed a 23) People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy (PSPD) Legislative Opinion, “Opinion on the Introduction of Exemption for Police Officers Duties,” Dec. 29, 2021. 28