A Series of Incidents at Hospitals, Restaurants, and on the Streets
"Weapon-Related Crimes to Be Investigated with Suspects in Custody as a Principle"
"He caused a disturbance for over four hours at a hospital while intoxicated and was eventually arrested," and "He threw a chair at a restaurant, assaulted a taxi driver, and then stole the vehicle and drove off."
These are real cases reported to local police stations in Gwangju. With a series of crimes threatening citizens' daily lives and disrupting public order while under the influence of alcohol, the police are raising their level of response.
The Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency announced on July 3 that it will conduct a six-month intensive crackdown on alcohol-related violence, livelihood-related violence, and crimes involving weapons until the end of this year. The crackdown will target all areas of daily life, including streets, shops, and public transportation.
The police plan to form dedicated teams at each police station and establish hotlines with merchant associations and other groups to create a collaborative system. In particular, cases that cause significant public anxiety will be investigated swiftly and strictly. For incidents involving weapons or where serious harm is anticipated, the principle will be to conduct investigations with suspects in custody.
According to the Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency, in the first half of this year, there were a total of 2,367 cases and 2,364 individuals apprehended for alcohol-related violence and similar offenses in the Gwangju area. Of these, 18 people were arrested and detained. The main charges included assault, bodily injury, intimidation, obstruction of official duties, and property damage.
In Gwangsan-gu, on the night of March 15, a man in his 60s was arrested and detained after causing a disturbance for nearly four hours inside a hospital, disrupting the work of nurses and disturbing patients. On May 3, a man in his 50s was arrested and detained for disrupting business for over an hour and throwing a chair to assault someone at a restaurant in Dong-gu.
Crimes involving weapons have also occurred. On May 9 in Gwangsan-gu, a man in his 30s was arrested and detained after stabbing a companion in the abdomen and other areas with a knife because he felt slighted during a drinking session. On May 10 in Nam-gu, a man in his 30s was arrested and detained for assaulting a taxi driver and stealing the vehicle, which he drove for about 120 meters. In Seo-gu, at dawn on May 22, a 19-year-old assaulted a passerby on the street and pushed a responding police officer, causing the officer to fall.
The police stated, "We will thoroughly protect the identity of informants and provide a certain reward for reports," urging citizens to actively report incidents. They added, "For suspects with a history of alcoholism or mental illness, we will also pursue restorative policing by linking them with treatment and rehabilitation institutions to support their reintegration into society."
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