Jung-gu Deploys Special Road Law Inspectors... Establishing Order in Tourist District Areas

Strengthened Management of Unauthorized Street Vendors and Stalls in Major Commercial Areas like Myeongdong and Dongdaemun

Seoul Jung-gu Office building.

Jung-gu, Seoul (District Mayor Kim Gil-seong) announced on the 29th that it has secured investigative authority by introducing special judicial police under the Road Act. This move aims to efficiently respond to illegal road occupation and strengthen the order of local commercial districts through systematic street maintenance.

In July, four special judicial police officers under the Road Act were nominated and recommended to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office. After a suitability review, the nomination certificate was issued on the 27th of this month.

Focusing on tourist special zones with dense floating populations such as Myeongdong and Dongdaemun areas, crackdowns will be concentrated on unauthorized road occupation and violations of road occupation permits by street vendors. Beyond existing administrative measures like collection and maintenance or imposing fines, more professional and strengthened enforcement is expected.

Until now, the district has made multifaceted efforts to manage indiscriminate storage on roads and street vendors, but faced several limitations during enforcement. Illegal road occupants often refused to submit identification, making it difficult to obtain personal information, and physical confrontations during crackdowns were frequent.

With the introduction of special judicial police, it is now possible to secure personal information of law violators and ensure procedural legitimacy such as summons. In particular, habitual offenders can be referred to the prosecution. Efficient and systematic responses to physical conflicts have also become possible.

Additionally, through a district responsibility system, violations will be intensively cracked down on and the emergence of new illegal street vendors will be fundamentally blocked. Furthermore, a full survey of unauthorized road occupation within the district will be conducted to strengthen public management.

A district official stated, “Through this designation of special judicial police, we have overcome difficulties that occurred during enforcement and can now conduct crackdowns systematically. We will establish street order fairly according to laws and principles to restore order in local commercial districts and ensure residents can enjoy a pleasant environment.”

The district plans to enhance the capabilities of the special judicial police through investigative training linked with Seoul City and will embark on full-scale focused maintenance activities.

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