Jeju Police Agency to Operate 'Voluntary Illegal Weapons Reporting Period' Starting Next Month

[Jeju=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Hwang Jeongpil] Jeju Police Agency (Chief Kang Hwangsoo) announced on the 30th that, in cooperation with the Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, it will operate a "Voluntary Surrender Period for Illegal Weapons" for 30 days starting from the 1st of next month to prevent terrorism and crimes caused by illegal weapons in advance.

The targets for voluntary surrender of illegal weapons include all illegal weapons such as firearms possessed without permission or whose possession permits have been revoked, explosives (gunpowder, explosives, live ammunition, shells, etc.), swords, spray devices, electronic shockers, crossbows, and others.

If reported during this voluntary surrender period, criminal and administrative liabilities will, in principle, be exempted, and if the individual wishes to possess the weapon, permission will be granted after a verification process for disqualifications.

The reporting method involves the individual or a proxy submitting the illegal weapons to a nearby police station (police station, district unit, or police box) or a military unit where a reporting office is installed. If it is difficult to submit the illegal weapons within the reporting period due to unavoidable circumstances, prior reporting by phone or mail followed by submission of the actual items is also possible.

Jeju Police Agency urged everyone to report all illegal weapons during this voluntary surrender period, as nationwide intensive crackdowns on illegal weapons are planned for the entire month of October after the voluntary surrender period ends.

In particular, due to the amendment of the Firearms and Gunpowder Act (September 19, 2019), penalties for illegal manufacturing, sale, or possession of firearms have been strengthened (from imprisonment of up to 10 years or fines up to 20 million KRW → imprisonment of 3 to 15 years or fines between 30 million KRW and 100 million KRW), so they repeatedly emphasized not to miss this opportunity and to report without omission.

A police official said, "If you find someone possessing illegal weapons around you, please report immediately to 112 or the nearest police station."

Jeju=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Hwang Jeongpil panax33@asiae.co.kr

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