Temporary Abolition in January and February,
Under Review for March
As the date for the impeachment trial verdict of President Yoon Suk-yeol remains undecided, fatigue among on-site personnel is accumulating, and the police are making thorough efforts in manpower management, including abolishing the overtime pay limit.
Winter cadets are on guard duty at the main gate of the Constitutional Court in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News
Park Hyun-soo, Acting Commissioner of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, said at a regular press briefing on the 24th, "Currently, the overtime pay limit is 143 hours, but after consulting with the National Police Agency, we temporarily abolished the limit in January and last month," adding, "We are also considering abolishing it this month." This is interpreted as a form of compensation due to the accumulated fatigue of police officers who must manage the scene as the impeachment trial verdict is repeatedly postponed.
Acting Commissioner Park added, "Since the situation has been prolonged, we will strive to guarantee even 1 to 2 hours of rest time for the police to improve operational efficiency," and "Once the situation ends, we plan to implement large-scale reward leave."
Regarding the incident on the 20th where Rep. Baek Hye-ryun of the Democratic Party was hit by eggs in front of the Constitutional Court, he said, "There are one-person protesters and YouTubers active across from the Constitutional Court, and after the throwing incident, distancing measures were taken against them," adding, "We are continuously controlling the area around the Constitutional Court."
Earlier, the police announced plans to mobilize all available personnel by creating a vacuum zone within 100 meters around the Constitutional Court on the day of the impeachment trial verdict and issuing the highest police alert, Gapho Alert.
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