Party and Government: "Indefinite Special Police Operations... Police to Actively Use Physical Force"

National Assembly Holds Meeting on 'Random Crimes' Countermeasures... "Full Deployment of Available Forces"
Active Deployment of Local Police Investigation Units for Online 'Advance Posts' Planned

The People Power Party and the government have decided to implement virtually indefinite special police activities.They plan for the police to actively use physical force against violent crimes such as carrying weapons, while the cyber investigation team will respond to online posts predicting crimes, and the violent crime investigation unit will apprehend suspects to alleviate public anxiety.

Lee Man-hee, the People Power Party's ranking member of the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee, stated after a meeting on measures against random crimes on the afternoon of the same day that this will be implemented at about 250 locations. This aligns with Police Commissioner Yoon Hee-geun's urgent public statement declaring "special security activities to respond to heinous crimes."

Lee explained, "During the period, we will mobilize all available forces such as police riot squads and conduct visible patrols with physical force at crowded places, along with establishing key point occupation measures based on the analysis of moving populations at major locations such as department stores and subway stations to ensure public safety." He added that the period could be extended if necessary depending on the situation.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Previously, on the 21st of last month, Cho Seon (33) committed a 'random stabbing' near Sillim Station in Seoul, and the day before, a man in his 20s caused a random weapon rampage near AK Plaza in Seohyeon, Bundang. Since then, numerous online posts predicting 'weapon rampages' have appeared, prompting police responses.

The ruling party and government stated that the police will actively use physical force against violent crimes such as carrying weapons, and to quickly detect early signs of crime, they will connect and share information on crime-prone locations and times with local government CCTV control centers. Regular response drills are also planned.

Furthermore, for reports involving physical danger or risk of casualties, they will maintain a rapid response system by issuing at least a Code 1 pre-dispatch order and designating the patrol car closest to the crime scene as the highest priority for dispatch regardless of jurisdiction in the event of a serious incident. The aim is to focus on rapid police mobilization to apprehend suspects and prevent the spread of harm.

Measures were also announced for online 'prediction posts' that are rampant aside from actual incidents. Lee said, "Since the Sillim-dong incident on the 22nd of last month, a total of 25 various threatening prediction posts have been made." He added, "Regarding this issue, rather than the previous responses by the National Police Agency, investigations to identify IPs and others will be conducted collectively by the cyber investigation divisions established at each provincial police agency, and the provincial police investigation units will be actively mobilized to apprehend suspects and eliminate public anxiety." He further explained, "We share the understanding that the provincial police investigation units must directly apprehend suspects related to prediction posts and show that they will be punished, which will serve as an opportunity to eliminate copycat crimes." Additionally, the ruling party and government said they will strive to prevent crime recurrence by utilizing the patrols of about 140 police and riot squads nationwide, as well as the security capabilities of civilian sectors such as autonomous crime prevention groups.

Regarding the 'life imprisonment without parole system,' they stated that they will go through processes such as public opinion gathering. Park Dae-chul, the chairman of the Policy Committee, posted on Facebook that a recent closed-door ruling party-government meeting was held, saying, "The meeting discussed the establishment of life imprisonment without parole. The ruling party and government agreed on the need to listen to expert opinions and gather public opinion." In relation to this, Lee said, "It was not discussed at this meeting," but added, "Life imprisonment without parole is practically a matter to be discussed together with the Ministry of Justice and others since the death penalty has been almost abolished. I think public opinion gathering could include public hearings and expert forums."

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