{"id":2202219,"date":"2023-09-12T14:18:26","date_gmt":"2023-09-12T05:18:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/?p=2202219"},"modified":"2023-09-15T12:12:38","modified_gmt":"2023-09-15T03:12:38","slug":"south-koreas-auxiliary-police-force-logistical-challenges-and-political-debate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/09\/south-koreas-auxiliary-police-force-logistical-challenges-and-political-debate\/","title":{"rendered":"South Korea’s auxiliary police force: Logistical challenges and political debate"},"content":{"rendered":"
A recent <\/span>surge in crime<\/span><\/a> in South Korea has led to the government scrambling for solutions, and one of the Yoon administration\u2019s proposals is the reinstatement of the country\u2019s <\/span>auxiliary police force<\/span><\/a>. However, logistical and political challenges render the reintroduction of the system in any long-term capacity highly improbable.<\/span><\/p>\n South Korea introduced the auxiliary police system in 1982, permitting conscription-age males to serve as conscripted police officers instead of entering the regular military. The Chun Doo-hwan regime implemented this system to address escalating security concerns stemming from intensified <\/span>protests<\/span><\/a> against Chun\u2019s dictatorship and the elimination of a nightly curfew.<\/span><\/p>\n Fast forward to May 2023, <\/span>dwindling demographics<\/span><\/a> necessitated the discontinuation of the auxiliary police, as the military required more conscripts. However, the surge in random crimes \u2014 unprovoked, violent attacks that targeted unsuspecting individuals \u2014 during the summer months of 2023 deeply unsettled the public, igniting calls to resurrect this force.<\/span><\/p>\n On July 21, a knife-wielding assailant <\/span>attacked<\/span><\/a> passengers in a Seoul subway station, leading to one death and three injuries. Merely weeks later, on Aug. 3, a man deliberately drove into a bus stop before stepping out of his vehicle with a knife to <\/span>attack<\/span><\/a> passersby, resulting in two deaths and 12 injuries. Another harrowing <\/span>incident<\/span><\/a> on Aug. 17 saw the rape and murder of a female schoolteacher, randomly selected by her attacker.<\/span><\/p>\n These heinous acts profoundly shocked the nation, driving the public to demand swift and potent countermeasures. In response, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and National Police Agency Commissioner Yoon Hee-keun declared their consideration to potentially reinstate the auxiliary police force on Aug. 23, aiming for a conscription of 7,500 to 8,000 individuals.<\/span><\/p>\n