Authorities vowed to put in their utmost effort to ensure a safe election, with measures ranging from incident prevention at campaign sites and polling and counting stations to providing security when transporting ballot boxes.
The Seoul Metropolitan Police announced that it will issue the “gapho” emergency alert on Tuesday, the day of the presidential election. The gapho alert is the highest emergency level in the police’s emergency response system and allows the mobilization of up to 100 percent of all available police personnel.
According to police, the heightened measure was made after considering growing concerns over the increase in election-related crimes.
“As Election Day approaches, there are concerns about not only threats to candidates but about the public as well, including potential physical collisions between different supporters at campaign sites and the vandalism of election materials,” said the police.
Police will deploy 21,700 personnel to provide security at polling and counting stations nationwide during Tuesday’s presidential election.
Armed police officers will be set to respond to certain situations, such as interference with the transport of ballot boxes, according to the police.
It also added that mobile police squads used for crowd control will be stationed in the four key areas of Mapo-gu, Dongdaemun-gu, Yeongdeungpo-gu and Gangnam-gu to maintain public order until the ballot count is completed.
Police temporarily banned the release of privately owned firearms until June 4 to ensure public safety. It also vowed to conduct strict and prompt investigations into any election-related criminal activity.
The National Fire Agency also announced that 242 nationwide fire stations will go on two-day special emergency duty until the end of the June 3 presidential election.
According to the agency, 464 fire trucks and nearly 2,200 firefighters will be deployed at polling and counting stations across Korea to inspect electrical facilities to ensure proper operation.
While a 24-hour monitoring system and on-site command system are set to ensure prompt responses in case of any incidents, firefighting personnel will also instruct building officials on how to respond to emergencies in the early stages.
According to the agency, it will also secure emergency vehicle access routes around different polling and counting stations, and maintain emergency communication lines with the National Election Commission and the police.
In response to the recent Seoul subway arson, Seoul Metro announced it would implement special safety management and strict security measures to prevent copycat crimes and handle potential contingencies on Tuesday.
All 276 stations, trains and depots of Seoul Subway Line Nos. 1 through 8 will be checked.
The subway operator will enhance CCTV monitoring of vulnerable areas, restrict access to key facilities and conduct 24-hour on-site patrols of subway facilities until the end of the June 3 presidential election.
“We will thoroughly inspect stations, trains and less visible areas to stop public anxiety and be fully prepared for any potential emergency situation,” the Seoul Metro official said Monday.
sj_lee@heraldcorp.com
