South Korean police on Monday kicked off the three-day interview process for security personnel to protect candidates for the upcoming presidential election, as they consider heightening security measures compared to the last election due to safety concerns stemming from the past more than four months of political turmoil.
Officials of the National Police Agency were quoted by Yonhap News Agency as saying they are positively reviewing selecting more police officers to protect those running in the June 3 presidential election, candidate registration for which will be conducted May 10-11. It was notified that 150 officers will be selected for the special security job, the same number as in the 2022 presidential election, although the final number may increase depending on security needs.
Up to 30 police officers had conventionally been allocated per candidate in the past. The selected individuals will provide the second-highest level of protection -- called "eulho," which is normally for prime minister- and parliamentary speaker-level officials -- to the candidates around the clock until the election results are confirmed.
South Korea has been beefing up security amid the political turmoil created by former President Yoon Suk Yeol's Dec. 3 declaration of martial law, for which he was impeached and is also facing criminal trial for insurrection. Yoon's supporters on Jan. 19 attacked the Seoul Western District Court, which had issued his arrest warrant, leaving scores of police officers and civilians injured.
South Korean police deployed some 14,000 personnel to central Seoul on April 4, when the Constitutional Court announced its ruling on Yoon's impeachment. No large-scale violence or unlawful incidents took place on the day, but security concerns over the safety of political figures persist.
Rep. Lee Jae-myung, the leader of Democratic Party of Korea and the clear front-runner of the presidential race in terms of poll results, was stabbed on the neck while addressing reporters in an attempted assassination by a 66-year-old man with far-right political inclinations on Jan. 2 last year. A police investigation found that the culprit acted to prevent Lee from becoming president, and he was ultimately sentenced to 15 years in prison by the Supreme Court in February this year.
minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com
