Jeonnam Police Strictly Respond with 'Arrest and Investigation as a Principle' for Obstruction of Official Duties

Jeonnam Provincial Police Agency building exterior

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Chunsu] Recently, along with the trend of disregarding public authority and the perception that assaulting police officers or causing disturbances at police substations or precincts does not result in severe punishment, the number of special obstruction of official duties cases involving serious offenses such as the use of weapons has been steadily increasing.

The Jeonnam Provincial Police Agency announced on the 15th that it will strictly respond by strengthening the case handling standards to prioritize arrest and investigation when officers who respond to calls are subjected to direct physical force, such as being grabbed by the collar or punched.

The police believe that lenient case handling due to reasons such as offenses committed under intoxication or absence of injury has led to a continuous increase in obstruction of official duties cases.

Analysis of offenders apprehended for obstruction of official duties over the past three years shows a continuous increase since 2018, with an average of 334 individuals apprehended annually, of whom 43 were detained.

The majority of suspects (68.6%) committed the offenses while intoxicated, and by age group, socially active individuals in their 40s and 50s accounted for more than half (58.5%).

By criminal record, habitual offenders with multiple prior convictions made up the majority (79.6%), and by occupation, the largest group was unemployed (48.5%), followed by self-employed, company employees, and laborers.

The incidents predominantly occurred during evening and early morning hours, from 8 PM to 4 AM (66.1%), and the locations were mainly streets (45.8%), government offices (14.2%), and pubs (7.8%).

Given these circumstances, in the future, when obstruction of official duties incidents against police officers occur, detectives from the violent crimes unit will be dispatched to the scene to actively respond as if dealing with serious crimes.

Dedicated detectives will strengthen responsible investigations to secure evidence such as suspect arrests, surrounding CCTV and black box footage, and witness statements to the fullest extent.

Additionally, in-depth inquiries around the suspect’s residence, verification of past reports, criminal records, and unreported victim cases will be thoroughly conducted. Regardless of whether there is a history of similar offenses, whether the offense was committed under intoxication, or whether injury occurred, suspects will be arrested and investigated as a principle, with strict measures enforced.

Compensation claims will also be actively pursued to recover damages and raise awareness of the illegality regarding personal and material harm caused by obstruction of official duties.

For intoxicated violence offenders, who constitute the majority of obstruction of official duties cases, proactive and preventive criminal activities such as prior intelligence gathering will be actively carried out by a dedicated investigation team to prevent recidivism.

Furthermore, for intoxicated disorderly conduct that does not reach the level of obstruction of official duties, the ‘Intoxicated Disorderly Conduct at Government Offices’ provision under the Minor Offenses Act will be actively applied to ensure strict punishment.

A Jeonnam police official stated, “We ask the residents to deeply understand that violent acts against police officers, who ensure safety and maintain order, seriously undermine public safety and violate human rights, and that such acts can no longer be tolerated and require strict punishment. We also request active cooperation.”

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