The police announced that they have improved the motorcade (vehicle procession) operation method in connection with last year's "Mapo Bridge controversy" involving First Lady Kim Keonhee, stating, "To minimize public inconvenience, we have adopted a motorcade operation that maximizes the passage of surrounding vehicles along the route."
On October 23, during the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee audit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, the police reported that they had taken these measures in response to criticism that excessive security had been provided during Mrs. Kim's visit to Mapo Bridge. The police explained, "We will maximize the passage of vehicles entering from the sides and turning, allow general vehicles to use the lower lanes, and, rather than focusing on control, prioritize communication by, for example, operating traffic signals only when the main motorcade is about to pass."
Meanwhile, on the evening of September 10 last year, First Lady Kim Keonhee patrolled Mapo Bridge on foot to mark World Suicide Prevention Day. At that time, suspicions were raised that the police had controlled traffic, including access to the bridge.
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