Yoon Attends Police Day Ceremony, First Mentions "Win the War Against Drugs"

President Yoon: "Relevant agencies and the international community must actively cooperate and respond swiftly"
Urges "prompt response and relentless pursuit" against crimes targeting the vulnerable and seven major frauds
Reiterates promise to improve police working conditions and treatment

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] On the 21st, President Yoon Suk-yeol urged, "With the mission to protect our future generations, please win the war against drugs."

President Yoon made these remarks during the 77th Police Day commemorative ceremony held at Songdo Convensia in Incheon that morning, mentioning the increase in juvenile and first-time drug offenders. He said, "Relevant agencies, as well as the international community, must actively cooperate and respond swiftly."

This is the first time President Yoon has directly mentioned the "war against drugs" in an official public setting since taking office. On the 12th, during a closed-door discussion at the State Council meeting presided over at the Yongsan Presidential Office, he noted, "The drug problem among youth is also at a serious level," and urged cabinet members to implement a "comprehensive inter-ministerial management plan for drug offenders' punishment and rehabilitation," which includes not only punishment but also rehabilitation for addicts. [Exclusive] Yoon's First Order on Drug Response... 'Please also focus on addict rehabilitation']

President Yoon also emphasized that the government must promptly establish a nationwide safety net through cooperation among related agencies to respond to crimes against children, stalking crimes, protect victims, and prevent recidivism. Regarding the seven major malicious frauds such as voice phishing, jeonse (long-term lease) fraud, and cyber fraud, he said, "Fraud crimes that prey on vulnerable neighbors and disadvantaged groups are becoming increasingly sophisticated and infiltrating citizens' daily lives," urging, "Please approach this with an extraordinary determination to pursue them to the end."

Since the slogan of the ceremony was "Science-based policing leading the future, a Republic of Korea where citizens feel safe," President Yoon spoke about police capacity innovation, saying, "To respond to new crime phenomena in a changed environment, advanced scientific technology must be integrated across all areas of police work, from crime prevention to suppression and investigation." He added, "For a new policing paradigm centered on science and technology, the government will actively support research and development (R&D) in policing, including the advancement of victim location tracking technology, support for undercover investigations of digital sex crimes, and the development of unmanned patrol robots."

He also reiterated his promise to improve police working conditions and treatment. President Yoon said, "I have always emphasized creating a country where uniformed heroes who protect the safety of the people are respected," and added, "The government will spare no effort to ensure you are properly respected in accordance with your roles and missions." In particular, he urged, "Police officers, please do your best to become 'the people's police' who look only to the citizens," and "No matter the situation, never forget your mission as 'the people's police' and protect the safety of the people."

At the Police Day event, the late Chief Inspector Choi Gyu-sik and the late Sergeant Jeong Jong-su, who died in a shootout while confronting 31 armed infiltrators during the so-called Kim Shin-jo incident in 1968 aimed at blowing up the Blue House and assassinating the president, as well as the late Inspector Jeong Ok-seong, who died in 2013 while trying to rescue a person attempting extreme self-harm by jumping into the sea at the Ganghwa Island ferry terminal, were selected as this year's "Police Heroes."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

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