Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn on Thursday instructed officials to keep enhancing public security amid lingering concern about a potential leadership vacuum following the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye last month.

During a regular meeting of ministers on state affairs, Hwang said that the government must do its utmost to prevent crimes that directly affect the livelihoods of ordinary citizens.

"I call on (related officials) to continuously focus on guidance and a crackdown (on crimes) to ensure public safety," Hwang said. "I hope that we can do our best to help citizens feel safe and focus on their daily lives."

Since Hwang took over as the acting president on Dec. 9 after the parliamentary impeachment of Park over a corruption scandal, the government has carried out a campaign for public security with the mobilization of some 6,000 police officers each day.

The campaign has focused on preventing crimes against women, traffic offenses and other violations.

In the past month, the number of robbery cases fell 22 percent from a year earlier, while the figure for drunk driving fatalities has halved during the same period, the acting president pointed out. (Yonhap)