Civil, Public, and Police Sectors Launch Special Crime Prevention Activities in Itaewon

On the 13th, the Yongsan Police Station in Seoul announced that on the 11th, it conducted special security activities including joint patrols by civilians, government, and police in Itaewon, a densely populated area with many foreigners, to prevent crime.

The Yongsan Police Station in Seoul conducted a special security operation on the 11th, combining joint patrols by civilian, public, and police forces to prevent crime in Itaewon, a densely populated area with many foreigners.
[Photo by Yongsan Police Station, Seoul]

The special security activities were held from 11 PM for two hours, condemning recent crimes involving weapons against random citizens and posts predicting heinous crimes, along with a campaign pledging to eradicate crimes such as drug offenses. Visible deterrent patrols for crime prevention were also conducted. About 50 participants attended the event, including the Itaewon Community Crime Prevention Unit, university student foreigner safety volunteer groups, the U.S. Military Police, related organizations, and police officers.

The police conducted powerful patrols throughout the Itaewon area, focusing on places where crowds gather to carry out inspections and searches. They also checked and cracked down on illegal activities such as drugs and gambling, especially in areas dense with clubs and pubs. Additionally, protection activities were carried out to ensure the safety of overseas Jamboree leaders who visited Itaewon after attending the closing ceremony of the 2023 Saemangeum World Scout Jamboree and a K-pop concert, allowing them to walk safely through the night streets.

Since the Itaewon tragedy last year, the Yongsan Police Station has designated the Itaewon area as a "top priority zone for citizen safety and crime prevention," maintaining stable local security with no safety accidents or violent incidents through the deployment of detectives and community police. As a result, the Itaewon commercial district has revived, and recently, the number of visitors to clubs and pubs during late-night hours on Fridays and Saturdays has increased, leading to a rise in 112 emergency calls and growing security demands.

A police official stated, “Taking this opportunity, we will cooperate more actively with civilians and government to create a ‘safe Yongsan’ and do our best to maintain stable security so that citizens can enjoy peaceful daily lives.”

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