Over 113 Hours of Overtime in a Month... Police Completely Exhausted Due to Delay in Yoon's Impeachment Verdict

33.7 More Overtime Hours Per Officer Since Martial Law Declaration
From Rally Response to Preparing for Unexpected Situations on Verdict Day

As pro- and anti-impeachment rallies for President Yoon Suk-yeol continue day after day, the fatigue of the police officers deployed at the scenes is also accumulating.

According to data submitted by the National Police Agency and Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency to Yang Bu-nam of the Democratic Party of Korea on the 17th, the average monthly overtime hours per police officer in the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency riot squad was 113.7 hours in January, an increase of 33.7 hours compared to 80 hours in November last year, before the December 3 emergency martial law incident. This is interpreted as being due to citizens demanding President Yoon’s impeachment taking to the streets after the declaration of emergency martial law, followed by an increase in anti-impeachment rallies starting from January this year.

On the 21st, ahead of the third hearing of President Yoon Suk-yeol's impeachment trial, police riot squads have increased their security around the Constitutional Court in Jongno-gu, Seoul.

Looking at the riot squads overall, from December last year to February this year, a total of 5,462 riot squad units were deployed to pro- and anti-impeachment rallies over the three months. Since one unit consists of about 60 members, a cumulative total of 327,000 personnel were mobilized for the rallies during the three months. Additionally, considering that the total number of police riot squad members is about 12,000, the number of personnel deployed to manage the impeachment rallies was equivalent to 27 times the entire force.

While the police are putting all their efforts into maintaining public order, frontline officers are deeply burdened. First, fatigue has accumulated due to high-intensity work continuing for three months. Also, the sentencing date, which was expected to be on the 14th, was postponed, making it uncertain how long the restriction on taking leave will continue. Some voices have also emerged saying that the level of work tension has greatly increased after the disturbance incident at the Western District Court.

Moreover, as the impeachment trial of President Yoon approaches, training to prepare for emergency situations on the sentencing day has increased, leaving riot squad members utterly exhausted. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency riot squad has recently been conducting training including shield techniques, unit formation drills, and crowd safety management. It has been confirmed that training involving capsaisin spray and 120 cm police batons has also been conducted. Recently, through footage filmed in front of the Constitutional Court on the day of the impeachment trial verdict for former President Park Geun-hye, they analyzed how protesters broke through the barricades and attempted to enter the Constitutional Court building, and educated officers on response methods.

On the 21st, ahead of the third impeachment trial hearing of President Yoon Suk-yeol, police riot control buses were set up as barricades around the Constitutional Court in Jongno-gu, Seoul.

Meanwhile, the police announced on the 14th that they will issue a 'Gapho Emergency' on the day of the impeachment trial verdict for President Yoon Suk-yeol, mobilizing 100% of police forces. Acting Commissioner General Lee Ho-young held a 'Situation Check Meeting for the Impeachment Verdict Day' that afternoon and stated, "We will establish an all-out response system to minimize social chaos before and after the verdict day."

The National Police Agency plans to issue a nationwide emergency duty order through the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s 'Eulho Emergency' the day before the verdict, and on the verdict day, issue a 'Gapho Emergency' to all police stations nationwide. When the highest level of emergency duty, Gapho Emergency, is declared, 100% police force mobilization is possible, and police officers’ annual leave is suspended. When the second-highest level, Eulho Emergency, is declared, commanders and staff must be positioned on the command line and maintain emergency communication systems. The police plan to deploy 337 riot squad units and about 20,000 personnel nationwide. In addition, all available personnel including riot patrol units and detectives will be mobilized.