Police Draw Swords Against Mutant Gangs in YouTube Broadcasts and More

Re-selection of Nationwide Gangster Management Targets by Next Month
Dedicated Investigation Team Formed... Special Crackdown for 100 Days
Continuous Monitoring of New Crime Activities

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] The police will strictly crack down on and conduct frequent monitoring of organized crime groups that are becoming more sophisticated through YouTube broadcasts and other means.

On the 25th, the National Police Agency announced that it will enhance the suppression of gang activities through focused crackdowns centered on the nationwide violent crime investigation units, metropolitan investigation units, and police station organized crime task forces. To this end, the police plan to reselect the organized crime groups under management nationwide by next month. Currently, the police are managing 5,465 members across 207 gangs nationwide. The number of managed organized crime members decreased from 5,384 in 2012 to 5,163 in 2019 but has recently been increasing again, according to the police.

After reconstructing the list of organized crime groups, the police plan to launch a special crackdown centered on the organized crime task forces starting in April. Currently, there are 318 organized crime task forces nationwide, comprising 1,539 members, but this may change depending on the results of the re-selection of managed organized crime groups, the police explained. This special crackdown will continue for 100 days until July. Last year, the police also conducted a 100-day special crackdown centered on organized crime task forces composed of 300 teams and 1,408 members nationwide, arresting a total of 1,630 people, of whom 307 were detained.

In addition to the special crackdown, the police plan to maintain a frequent monitoring system for the activities of variant organized crime groups. In particular, illegal content produced by so-called 'gangster YouTubers' is a major target of management. This measure comes amid concerns that YouTube content created by current or former gangsters attracts attention and exposes youths to copycat crimes. Gangster YouTubers have glamorized gang activities through content featuring their exploits and have caused social controversy by broadcasting police investigation details following mutual lawsuits and complaints.

The police view the behavior of gangster YouTubers as ultimately linked to income. The crime methods are becoming more sophisticated, moving away from traditional methods of expanding influence by extorting entertainment establishments or exercising collective violence while commanding large numbers of members. The police explain that YouTube broadcasting is also serving as a source of income.

Preventive activities will also be strengthened. The National Police Agency stated, "While criminal activities have previously focused on arrests, going forward, we aim to establish a paradigm that prevents organized crime through intelligence gathering and contingency preparedness." For example, if intelligence about gang member meetings is obtained, preemptive responses such as contingency measures will be taken.