Will Security Guards Become Mandatory to Prevent Club Assaults?

Police Agency Research Service Report
Proposals for Security Service Act-Compliant Staffing and Establishment of Dedicated Police Department

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-ju] As a measure to prevent crimes like the 'Kim Sang-gyo assault case,' which triggered the 'Club Burning Sun incident,' mandatory deployment of security guards has been proposed. Additionally, the establishment of a dedicated police department to strengthen the management and supervision of security guards was also discussed.

On the 21st, according to the police, the Daejeon University Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation recently submitted a research report titled "Improvement Measures for the Security Business Act to Prevent Crimes in Multi-use Facilities such as Clubs," conducted at the request of the National Police Agency.

The report first pointed out the problems of so-called "security personnel (guards)" employed internally by entertainment establishments such as clubs, karaoke bars, and room salons to control internal access. These personnel are more responsible for club management tasks such as controlling underage entry and handling intoxicated patrons rather than preventing crimes as security guards. They are not subject to the Security Business Act and thus fall into a blind spot of police management and supervision. The person who assaulted club guest Kim Sang-gyo in November 2018 was also such a security personnel. Accordingly, the report proposed mandating the deployment of official "private security guards" subject to the Security Business Act in entertainment establishments. Given the high possibility of various crimes and safety accidents, outsourced security guards dedicated solely to security are necessary.

The report particularly emphasized the need to expand police management and supervision of security guards. Even if security guards within the legal framework are mandatorily deployed in clubs, without supervision by the competent authorities, there would be no difference from the existing security personnel. As a solution, the report suggested expanding the size of the dedicated police department. Currently, private security businesses are managed by the Crime Prevention Policy Division of the Community Safety Bureau of the National Police Agency. However, there are more than 5,000 private security companies nationwide, and the number of private security guards reaches approximately 150,000. Reflecting this reality, the report stressed the need to establish a "Private Security Division" under the Community Safety Bureau to be responsible for ▲ police-private security cooperation ▲ guidance and management of security supervisors ▲ education and training of security guards.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.