On October 27, the police announced that they had received intelligence regarding the potential manufacture of homemade firearms ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit and are currently investigating the matter.
Park Sungjoo, Commissioner General of the National Office of Investigation at the National Police Agency, stated at a regular press briefing that day, "The Korea Customs Service requested an investigation, and we are currently looking into the suspicious information. We are focusing on whether the items in question were used to make firearms or if they underwent any processing stages. What matters most is what was done with them."
The police are on high alert for any possible terrorist attempts during the APEC period. With a large number of world leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, scheduled to attend, the authorities are determined to eliminate any potential threats.
Until all APEC summit leaders have departed the country, the police have prohibited the release of 84,927 privately owned firearms stored at police stations. The release of these firearms will resume at 5 a.m. on November 3.
The authorities have also conducted a comprehensive inspection of 1,709 businesses nationwide that handle firearms and explosives, checking for any leakage of firearms or live ammunition, as well as reviewing records of rentals and returns. Until October 31, they are also focusing on cracking down on the distribution of illegal weapons and the posting or dissemination of information on how to manufacture firearms and explosives online.
During the APEC period, the use and transportation of explosives will also be prohibited. From October 28 until 6 a.m. on November 3, the area within a 2-kilometer radius of the event venue will be subject to these restrictions.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
