Private security industry in South Korea has rapidly been growing in recent years. However, such a rapid growth is being criticized for its focus on external results, which has produced a number of problems. The continued growth of private security industry can be only based upon substantive and qualitative development. In this aspect, it is necessary to consider the global trends of the private security industry, particularly the recent trends of the U. S. security industry which has led the global security industry. This is because the recent trends of the U. S. private security industry would guide the future direction of the private security industry in South Korea.
The U. S. private security industry has been replacing the role of law enforcement agencies including the police, from crime prevention to investigation and disaster management, not to mention asset protection and loss prevention. The recent trends of the U. S. security industry appears to be summarized by such characteristics as variety, specialty, and integration, which might account for the structural problem of the private security industry in South Korea. In short, the substantive and qualitative development of the private security industry in South Korea should be accomplished by strengthening its specialty and integration, and also widening its variety.