Case-Based Training for New Disaster Accident Recruits at the Central Police Academy : Enhancing Investigative Capacity in Industrial and Safety Accidents

This paper examines the initial legal awareness and investigative capacity of newly recruited disaster-special officers at the Central Police Academy. Compared with regular recruits, they exhibited significant difficulties in evaluating evidence, interpreting legal requirements, establishing intent, and determining causality. These limitations appear to stem from a lack of structured legal training, despite considerable field experience in construction. While technically competent, the trainees struggled to translate engineering expertise into legal accountability. This gap undermined objectivity and consistency in disaster and safety accident investigations. Case-based instruction, particularly the analysis of large-scale incidents such as the Jeongja Bridge collapse, proved useful in linking technical knowledge with legal reasoning and in reducing investigative anxiety. Interactive methods, including brainstorming and thematic discussion, fostered self-reflection and critical engagement. The findings underscore the need for a modular curriculum that develops legal knowledge progressively while integrating practical and theoretical perspectives. Drawing on empirical findings, this study highlights the early learning difficulties faced by specially recruited police trainees. These insights may serve as a basis for revising current legal education and police training programs. In particular, the incorporation of case-based training holds promise for fostering an investigative approach rooted in objective evidence and oriented toward achieving substantive justice.