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The police force or law enforcement agency responsible for maintaining public order and safety.
경찰은 도둑을 잡았습니다.
The police caught the thief.
In Korean, '경찰' refers to the national police force, which handles various law enforcement duties including crime prevention, investigation, and public safety.
Use '경찰' for the institution and '경찰관' for individual officers.
Always use '경찰' when referring to the police force as a whole.
Derived from the Chinese characters '警察' (gyeong-chal), where '경' (警) means 'warning' or 'alert,' and '찰' (察) means 'to observe' or 'to investigate.'
In formal contexts, '경찰' is used to refer to the police force as an institution, while '경찰관' (police officer) refers to individual officers.