Security System at the Constitutional Court to Remain in Place
Police to Continue Personal Protection for Moon Hyung-bae and Lee Mi-seon
Barricades and Police Presence to Be Gradually Reduced Depending on Situation
No Major Clashes After Impeachment Ruling; Further Investigations Underway
The police plan to continue providing personal protection for Moon Hyung-bae, Acting Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court, and Lee Mi-seon, Constitutional Court Justice.
Park Hyun-soo, Acting Commissioner of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, said at a regular press briefing on the 7th, "If necessary, personal protection will continue even after the justices retire on the 18th." However, he added that the consent of Acting Chief Justice Moon and Justice Lee must also be confirmed.
Park also stated that personal protection for other Constitutional Court justices will be maintained for the time being, saying, "It is still too early to lift personal protection," and "We will monitor the situation further."
The 24-hour police security system around the Constitutional Court will also be maintained for the time being. Currently, four units are on duty during the day and three units at night, rotating shifts.
The enhanced security duty system will continue as well. The police plan to gradually and flexibly remove the barricades surrounding the Constitutional Court and reduce police forces according to the situation.
Regarding the fact that the situation was resolved without any significant clashes after the impeachment ruling on the 4th, Park said that designating the Jongno and Jung-gu areas into eight special crime prevention zones was effective.
According to the police, except for one man who was arrested for damaging a police bus with a baton on the day of the impeachment ruling, there were zero cases of police injuries or damages sustained by the police. The police plan to further investigate the motive behind the crime, as an arrest warrant was issued for the man who damaged the bus the day before.
Additionally, Park explained that the deployment rate of riot police officers, who had accumulated fatigue due to the prolonged impeachment trial, will be reduced from the previous 80% to 70%, ensuring sufficient leave and rest time.
Furthermore, the police identified the man who threw eggs at Baek Hye-ryun, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, during a press conference in front of the Constitutional Court on the 20th, and plan to investigate him soon.
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