The police have strengthened patrols in downtown Seoul in preparation for the impeachment trial ruling against President Yoon Suk Yeol.
The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's mobile patrol unit stated on the 25th that it patrolled the Jongno and Jung districts, where the Constitutional Court is located, from the 11th to the 23rd. They reported that through the patrols, they checked 591 risk factors, including tools that could be used as weapons and facilities with potential safety concerns, and temporarily improved over 300 cases.
The major temporary improvements included ▲ organizing discarded materials such as wooden boards, bricks, and metal pipes around construction sites ▲ securing gas storage containers at restaurants with locks ▲ and organizing abandoned gas cylinders.
The police also provided administrative guidance to businesses selling knives in Insadong, a shooting range near Euljiro 4-ga Station, gas stations, and places selling flammable substances such as paint and chemicals in the city center. On the day of the ruling, officers will be deployed to these businesses and patrol activities will be intensified to prevent any unexpected incidents.
In addition to the temporary improvement measures for risk factors, the police deployed over 2,700 personnel for patrols, conducting stop-and-search operations on individuals suspected of carrying weapons and apprehending offenders. As a result, 30 wanted individuals and 33 criminal offenders, including those for driving under the influence, were arrested, and 231 acts violating public order, causing anxiety, were enforced on the spot.
A police official noted, "We will do our utmost to maintain order until the ruling day," and added, "We will respond strictly in accordance with the law and principles to illegal collective violent actions related to the impeachment trial and assaults on police officers."
On the 10th, the Seoul Metropolitan Police designated the Jongno and Jung districts as a "special crime prevention reinforcement zone" and is deploying 32 mobile patrol teams every day to intensively check human and material risks. On the day of the impeachment ruling against President Yoon, the police plan to issue a "level 1 emergency" and mobilize all available police resources.