"Borrowed Boxes from Scrap Collectors"
The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit held in Gyeongju concluded successfully on November 1, but there is growing discontent as reports have emerged that police officers mobilized for the event were not provided with proper accommodation or meals.
A maximum of 19,000 police officers were mobilized per day for this APEC summit. However, in some areas, accommodation and meals were not adequately provided, leading to confusion on site.
A police officer taking a nap using a box as a blanket. Provided by the National Police Workplace Council. Photo by Yonhap News.
On November 10, the National Police Workplace Council released photos showing the accommodation conditions of police officers during APEC. The published photos depict officers in uniform napping on the floor, using boxes as blankets.
Other photos show groups of officers sleeping in front of large movie theater screens or lying down in hallways with only a single blanket. There are also accounts of officers staying in run-down motels or inns in the mountains.
On the anonymous workplace forum 'Blind,' some officers reported that they had to buy their own meals because lunchboxes were not provided, or that they had to eat cold food in chilly weather. One officer shared, "The motel bathroom had no door and was made of glass. I couldn't show that to my roommate. Even a jail cell would have a partition."
APEC Dongwon Police Officers' Poor Accommodation Conditions. Provided by the National Police Workplace Council. Yonhap News Agency
The National Police Workplace Council announced that it would hold a photo exhibition titled "APEC Event That Turned Police Officers Into Homeless People" in front of the National Police Agency in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, on November 11. The same exhibition will continue in front of the National Assembly on November 12 and 14. The council stated, "Police officers deployed for this international event, which the National Police Agency, Gyeongbuk Provincial Police Agency, and the APEC Planning Team prepared for a year, were treated in this manner," demanding a work audit and full investigation of the leadership, an official apology, and measures to prevent recurrence.
Police officers from APEC sleeping in the movie theater. Provided by the National Police Workplace Council Yonhap News Agency
In response, the National Police Agency stated, "There were unavoidable limitations due to local circumstances, but we feel sorry." At a regular press briefing held that day, an agency official explained, "We have paid attention to accommodation and meals since the beginning of the year, but with personnel from related organizations and foreign delegations, even after securing all hotels, motels, and corporate training centers in Gyeongju, it was still insufficient." The official added, "We apologize as the organizing team for not being able to provide a comfortable environment and proper meals to some staff members."
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