Chuseok Holiday 112 Reports Rise, but Crime Reports Fall 2.2%... Police Deploy 280,000 Personnel

[Financial News] The number of 112 reports increased during this year's Chuseok holiday, while crime reports declined. Police deployed approximately 280,000 personnel during the holiday, conducting advance inspections of vulnerable areas nationwide and monitoring high-risk groups for relationship-based crimes.
According to the Korean National Police Agency on the 27th, the average daily number of 112 reports during the 11-day period from the 17th through the 27th rose 4.3% from the annual daily average. Crime reports fell 2.2%, while traffic-related reports declined 1.2%.
Because this year's holiday was a short four-day break, police expected security demands to be concentrated around travel to and from hometowns, family and relatives' gatherings, holiday shopping and outings. They deployed an average of 25,805 officers per day, or approximately 280,000 in total. That was similar to last year's average daily deployment of 26,798 officers during the Chuseok comprehensive security measures.
Police carried out preventive measures, including advance monitoring of high-risk groups, against relationship-based crimes, which tend to increase during the holidays. They explained that these efforts reduced the increase in reports compared with last year's Chuseok holiday.
Reports of domestic violence rose 42.4% from the usual level this year, below the 44.5% increase recorded during last year's Chuseok holiday. The increase in dating violence fell from 28.2% to 16.4%, while the increase in stalking declined from 9.2% to 0.6%. Reports of child abuse fell 12.4%, following a 0.7% decline during last year's Chuseok holiday.
Before the holiday, police monitored all 31,605 victims of relationship-based crimes, including domestic violence, stalking and dating violence. They identified 9,055 high-risk victims and shared information among local police, 112 units and other relevant departments. Through intensive investigations into crimes affecting public safety, including break-in robberies, theft and violence in local communities, police arrested 6,889 people and detained 141. They also confirmed the whereabouts of people involved in 4,499 missing-person reports.
Protective measures were also taken for actual victims of relationship-based crimes. On the 16th, Seoul Guro Police Station confirmed that a woman's ex-boyfriend had texted her during a period of temporary protective measures, saying, "I was fined because of you." Police immediately opened an investigation, sought temporary measures involving electronic monitoring and detention, and provided the victim with a smartwatch. In a case involving a husband with a history of violent crime who assaulted his wife and son, Gwangju Seobu Police Station took safety measures, including detention and the installation of closed-circuit television (CCTV) at the residence, and secured temporary housing for the victims.
Police also conducted advance inspections of crime-vulnerable areas. They carried out preventive assessments at 53,516 locations, including traditional markets, stations and terminals, and areas with large concentrations of single-person households. Depending on local security conditions, they deployed local police, metropolitan prevention patrol units and mobile units. A total of 68,774 members of voluntary crime prevention patrols were also assigned to patrol vulnerable areas.
Preventive activities also reflected local conditions. Incheon Jungbu Police Station operated a mobile police station called "Pol-in Island" to visit inhabited islands in its jurisdiction without a permanent police presence. While visiting the homes of elderly people living alone in single-person households who had not traveled to their hometowns and inspecting crime-vulnerable areas, officers discovered that two of three monitored emergency bells were malfunctioning and notified the local government.
On the 7th, Jeonnam Hampyeong Police Station discovered security vulnerabilities, including a low wall and an inadequate entrance door, while handling a report of a suspected break-in at the home of a foreign female seasonal worker living alone. After conducting an on-site assessment, the station linked the case to a support program for single-person households and installed a home security camera on the 18th that enables real-time external monitoring and intrusion detection.
There were also cases in which police responded to emergencies. On the 19th, Seoul Gangbuk Police Station received a report saying, "A man is watching me while I shower," and dispatched three nearby patrol cars. Working with the control center, officers located the suspect about 100 meters from the reported site and arrested him on suspicion of trespassing and other offenses.
On the 25th, Chuseok Day, a report was filed in Yongin saying, "A person went out carrying a knife and a hammer." Yongin Dongbu Police Precinct responded after receiving an additional report that the suspect had entered a nearby restaurant. Officers subdued and arrested the suspect in the act after he refused to put down the weapons despite police warnings. He was arrested on suspicion of possessing a weapon in a public place and other offenses. Police sought a warrant for his detention.
Police resources were also concentrated on traffic management during the holiday. Traffic volume on expressways averaged 6,333,000 vehicles per day during the Chuseok holiday, up 17% from 5,410,000 last year. Police deployed personnel to congested sections and accident-prone areas on major roads and at locations drawing large crowds, while strengthening safety management at local events and other crowded venues.
Kim Jongcheol, acting commissioner general of the Korean National Police Agency, said, "Even after the holiday, we will proactively monitor crime and accident risks in people's daily lives and focus our capabilities on 'establishing public safety' to protect the peaceful daily lives that people can feel."
[email protected] Kim Ye-ji Reporter