[Column] Police Let Halloween Drug Raids Slip Through Their Fingers

The biggest issue for social reporters last week, ahead of Halloween, was drugs.

It started on the morning of the 20th when messages flooded reporters' phones about actor Lee Seon-gyun's drug case. A few days later, suspicions arose about singer G-Dragon (real name Kwon Ji-yong) using drugs, and on the 26th, a doctor who supplied drugs to them was also booked. Around the same time, a press release announced that 11 people were arrested by the police for using and selling drugs at clubs in Itaewon.

Drugs are currently one of the top concerns for the police leadership. However, the '2023 Halloween Security Plan' prepared by the police ahead of the alcohol-free Halloween weekend is full of crowd control measures to prevent a repeat of last year's tragedy, but surprisingly, drug countermeasures are not prominent.

Last year, the police's Halloween measures were the exact opposite. They were focused on drugs. On October 12 last year, the National Police Agency announced the 'Halloween Festival Club Drug Crackdown Plan,' and the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Chief Kim Kwang-ho personally gave a special order the day before the tragedy to increase the number of police officers assigned to drug crackdowns in Itaewon for Halloween by more than three times the original plan.

Now, drugs have disappeared from the police's focus. At a press briefing held by the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency on the 23rd ahead of Halloween, the head of the security department announced in detail that a total of 1,260 police officers from 12 police stations and 10 riot squads would be deployed for emergency duty in 16 alleys crowded with people on the 27th and 28th. On the other hand, the head of the Metropolitan Investigation Unit, which oversees drug investigations, attended the briefing but made no mention of any Halloween drug countermeasures. The overall police stance remains at a general level, stating they will "actively respond to drug reports related to Halloween."

Within the police, it is believed that the recent wave of drug incidents will not end as a one-time event. Nevertheless, the fact that only crowd control appears in the Halloween weekend countermeasures, while drugs have disappeared, seems to be because last year the police were criticized for focusing solely on drug crackdowns and neglecting crowd control, which failed to prevent the tragedy.

It is natural to focus on crowd control for Halloween based on the lessons from the Itaewon tragedy. However, it is problematic if drug countermeasures are almost neglected. Security measures should not be a seesaw where one side goes up and the other goes down. Even now, measures must be prepared to protect the young people enjoying Halloween this weekend from drugs.

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