Seoul 112 Calls Decrease by 7.8% During Lunar New Year Holiday... "Ensuring Peaceful Holiday Security"

Traffic Accidents Down 51.7% YoY
4 Illegal Entertainment Businesses Detected
Monitoring Concerns Over Domestic Violence and Child Abuse

On the 28th, one day before the Lunar New Year holiday, a helicopter from the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency is inspecting the highway for returning home near Singal JC in Yongin-si, Gyeonggi Province. (Aerial filming cooperation = Sergeant Mun Heung-ju and Inspector Shim Dong-guk, Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency) / Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] During this Lunar New Year holiday, Seoul experienced a peaceful festive season, with 112 emergency calls decreasing compared to previous years.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency announced on the 2nd that they implemented a "Comprehensive Security Plan for the Lunar New Year Holiday" over 10 days (January 24 to February 2) to ensure smooth traffic flow for holiday travelers and maintain stable public safety without major incidents.

To create a safe holiday atmosphere free from crimes during the Lunar New Year period, the police conducted preemptive preventive activities by inspecting crime-vulnerable factors in advance. A total of 46,175 personnel, including local police and mobile units, were mobilized to conduct visible patrols focusing on crime-prone areas. From before the holiday, they carried out preventive diagnostics and crime prevention publicity activities targeting financial institutions (201 locations), jewelry stores (271 locations), and convenience stores (406 locations) that are vulnerable to crime due to single-person shifts or late-night operations, aiming to address crime vulnerabilities.

Additionally, monitoring was conducted on 3,159 households at risk of domestic violence recurrence and children suspected of abuse to assess the risk of recurrence and the need for protection and support, thereby strengthening protection activities for socially vulnerable groups. Joint inspections with local governments and related agencies were carried out on entertainment establishments, resulting in the crackdown on four illegal businesses (11 people) that operated unlawfully despite government quarantine policies.

As a result, the average daily number of 112 emergency calls during this Lunar New Year period was 6,219.6, a 7.8% decrease compared to the previous year. Furthermore, through traffic congestion management in crowded areas and traffic safety activities focused on accident-prone zones, traffic accidents were reduced by 51.7%, averaging 26 cases per day compared to the previous year.

For traffic management, 3,313 traffic police officers were proactively deployed in expected congestion areas, and one unmarked patrol car and 145 traffic patrol cars were dispatched to carry out traffic accident prevention activities. In particular, measures approved by the Seoul Metropolitan Autonomous Police Commission for citizen convenience, such as ▲temporary parking allowance around traditional markets and ▲special traffic management policies for habitual congestion areas, received positive responses.

Moreover, efforts were made to maintain peaceful holiday security through ▲visible criminal activities focusing on crime-prone locations (with an average of 1,000 personnel deployed daily), ▲special on-site activities at foreign tourist spots in cooperation with related agencies, and ▲joint duty by subway police units and security guards. A Seoul police official stated, "We will do our best to create a safe Seoul through proactive security activities that citizens can trust and be satisfied with."