Establishment of 'Jeonnam Police Special Forces' for Rapid Anti-Terror Response in Jeonnam Region

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Chunsu] On the 29th, the Jeonnam Provincial Police Agency held an inauguration ceremony for the Jeonnam Police Special Forces at the Jeonnam Police Special Forces headquarters and announced that it will officially carry out counter-terrorism operations in the Jeonnam area.

Jeonnam is home to numerous nationally important facilities such as Hanbit Nuclear Power Plant, Muan International Airport, and Yeosu National Industrial Complex, making it a crucial region for national security and public safety every week.

Nevertheless, the jurisdiction of the Gwangju Police Special Forces, which previously covered the Jeonnam area, spanned two cities and provinces, Gwangju and Jeonnam, covering a wide area, making it difficult to respond within the golden time during emergencies.

Therefore, the necessity to establish a police special forces unit dedicated to counter-terrorism in the Jeonnam area was raised, and after consultations with the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the Ministry of Economy and Finance in September 2020, it was finally approved by the National Assembly in December 2020.

The Jeonnam Special Forces' main duties include counter-terrorism prevention and suppression activities, VIP protection, hostage situations, and the detection and disposal of explosives. It is composed of six teams, including tactical teams, explosive detection teams, and Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) teams, mainly staffed by former military special forces and existing police special forces personnel.

In particular, the Jeonnam Special Forces, located in Naju, Jeonnam, can quickly deploy within the golden time across the entire Jeonnam jurisdiction due to its accessibility to Hanbit Nuclear Power Plant, Muan International Airport?which will serve as a hub airport for tourism and logistics in the southwestern region in the future?the Honam High-Speed Railway (scheduled for completion in 2023), and the Gwangju-Wando Expressway (scheduled for completion in 2024).

Jeonnam Police Chief Kim Jaegyu encouraged the unit in his congratulatory speech, saying, “I hope you become the best experts capable of responding to changing types of terrorism through realistic training and become an elite special forces unit that can promptly respond to the requests of the residents under any circumstances.”