Yoon, "Must relentlessly pursue and severely punish livelihood crimes that cause pain to ordinary people"

Current President Visits National Police Agency After 12 Years
"Heterogeneous Motive Crimes Threaten South Korea's Future"
"Strong Response to Digital Sex Crimes and Fake News"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

President Yoon Suk-yeol emphasized on the 21st that "new types of crimes abusing advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and deepfakes are rapidly increasing, and fake news continues unabated," adding, "To confront these new threats, the police must develop faster and adapt proactively."

President Yoon made these remarks while attending the '79th Police Day Commemoration Ceremony' held at the National Police Agency in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, in the morning. He stated, "It is difficult to protect the lives and safety of the people by sticking only to the existing methods of public security activities." This marks the first time in 12 years since former President Lee Myung-bak in 2012 that a sitting president has visited the National Police Agency building.

In his congratulatory speech, President Yoon pointed out, "We are now facing new threats that have never existed before," and said, "Crimes with abnormal motives that threaten unspecified many without specific reasons jeopardize the peaceful daily lives of the people, and drugs and cyber gambling have penetrated even into the daily lives of children, threatening the future of the Republic of Korea."

He continued, "To ensure that the people can trust and rely on the police, we must enhance and develop public security capabilities in line with social changes and new circumstances," adding, "the government will actively support the development of advanced technologies and thoroughly organize laws and systems to firmly back you up." He also stressed the utmost importance of crime prevention, urging, "please respond swiftly in urgent moments when the safety of the people is threatened, centered on the newly established Mobile Patrol Unit and Criminal Mobile Unit."

In particular, President Yoon emphasized, "I hope you will relentlessly pursue and strictly punish crimes that cause hardship to the common people, and recover all criminal proceeds and funding sources to fundamentally sever the links in the crime ecosystem." Regarding crimes against vulnerable groups such as stalking, domestic violence, and child abuse, he said, "The law must be enforced strongly from the outset to break the will to commit crimes."

He also promised active government support befitting the police's heavy mission and dedication. President Yoon stated, "We will promptly establish the Asan Police Hospital and further expand support for police officers who have died or been injured in the line of duty," adding, "we will spare no effort, including expanding exemption regulations, to ensure that the police's legitimate law enforcement is protected."

On this day, President Yoon awarded the Police Hero Plaques to the bereaved families of four fallen officers: the late Sergeant Na Seong-ju, the late Sergeant Jang Jin-hee, the late Inspector Shim Jae-ho, and the late Corporal Lee Jae-hyun, paying tribute to their service. The ceremony was attended by National Police Agency Commissioner Cho Ji-ho, Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min, National Assembly Deputy Speaker Joo Ho-young, and Floor Leader of the People Power Party Choo Kyung-ho, among others.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.