Seoul Tourism Police to Enforce Basic Order at Tourist Sites for Two Months

On the 23rd, citizens who visited Cheongwadae in Jongno-gu, Seoul, lined up to tour the interior of the Yeongbingwan. The Cultural Heritage Administration additionally opened the interiors of Yeongbingwan and Chunchoogwan, facilities within the premises, starting from this day, marking two weeks since the opening of Cheongwadae. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Gong Byung-sun] In anticipation of the summer vacation season, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency announced on the 10th that they will conduct guidance and crackdowns on basic order violations at tourist sites for two months starting from the 11th.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency planned this crackdown to eradicate illegal disorderly conduct at major tourist sites within Seoul. With the summer vacation season coinciding with the easing of quarantine measures for overseas arrivals, a surge in travel demand from both domestic and foreign tourists is expected. According to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, there were a total of 539 cases of basic order violations cracked down last year. Among them, during the July vacation season alone, 68 violations of the Minor Offenses Act and 143 violations of the Road Traffic Act were detected, totaling 211 cases, accounting for about 39% of all basic order violation crackdowns.

This year, the police plan to conduct basic violation crackdowns focusing on major tourist sites in Seoul in preparation for the vacation season. In particular, with the opening of Cheongwadae (the Blue House), the Gwanghwamun area has emerged as a historical and cultural tourist destination, so 'spot patrol activities' to eradicate illegal disorderly conduct around Cheongwadae, Bukchon, and Seochon will be intensively promoted. Spot patrol refers to concentrating manpower to enable joint patrols of four or more officers at locations and times with high security demand.

Additionally, in preparation for the influx of tourists centered around the Hongik University area during the summer, customized crime prevention activities by region will be conducted alongside basic order crackdowns, including promotional activities to prevent sexual crimes targeting foreign tourists.

A representative of the Seoul Tourism Police said, "As the tourism market recovers, the number of foreign tourists visiting Korea is expected to gradually increase," adding, "We will do our best to create a pleasant and safe tourism security environment."

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