[2022 National Audit] Illegal Protesters Increased Over 5 Years... Police Arrests Remain Minimal

Cases of vagrancy law violations increased from 188 in 2018 to 297 last year
Assemblyman Jung Woo-taek: "The new government must respond strictly to illegal violent protests"

Seodaemun-gu, Seoul Police Agency building. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kum Bo-ryeong] Although the number of illegal protesters has increased over the past five years, the number of arrests remains very minimal.

According to the annual illegal violent protest occurrence status submitted by the National Police Agency to Jeong Woo-taek, a member of the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee from the People Power Party, there were 188 cases of violations of the "Assembly and Demonstration Act" in 2018.

The number of violations of the Assembly and Demonstration Act steadily increased thereafter, showing 223 cases in 2019, 277 cases in 2020, and 297 cases last year. This year, as of August, 251 cases have been confirmed.

The number of arrests also increased from 429 in 2018 to 509 in 2019, 540 in 2020, and 549 last year. This year, 514 people have been arrested as of August.

The number of detentions was only 2 in 2018, which was less than 0.5% of the arrested individuals. Subsequently, there were 6 in 2019, 4 in 2020, and 5 last year.

Regarding this, Assemblyman Jeong said, "During the five years of the left-wing administration, illegal collective actions by various groups seeking benefits increased illegal violent protests from just 188 cases in 2018 to about 300 cases last year," adding, "The new Yoon Seok-yeol administration should guarantee the freedom of assembly and demonstration but respond strictly to illegal violent protests to ensure safety and reduce inconvenience to citizens."

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