Police to scale back riot police at rally, protest sites

▲ This undated file photo shows police buses at the Gwanghwamun intersection in central Seoul. (Yonhap)

police-rallies

Police to scale back riot police at rally, protest sites

SEOUL, May 11 (Yonhap) -- Police said Monday they will reduce the presence of riot police at rallies and demonstrations and grant organizers greater autonomy.

Under the revised policy, organizers of assemblies and demonstrations will bear greater responsibility for maintaining order, while police will take a "reactive and supplementary role" focused on supporting order maintenance and ensuring safety.

Park Jun-hyun, chief of the Korean National Police Agency's Situational Intelligence Division, unveiled the new policy during a forum on improving assembly and demonstration culture at the National Assembly Members' Office Building in Seoul.

Except for essential needs, mobile police units will be deployed at all times to public safety sectors, such as crime prevention and response, and crowd and disaster management, Park said.

"The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency has piloted the new policy since Feb. 19. Although the number of rallies held between February and April was similar to previous years, the deployment of riot police decreased by 62 percent from a year earlier," said Park, adding there were no illegal or violent protests.

The changed policy will be expanded nationwide starting this month, according to Park.

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