S. Korea records 5-year high in obstruction of public duties, with most offenses against police

South Korean police officers conduct a crackdown on violent driving Wednesday evening in Seoul. (Yonhap)

A police data showed that over 10,000 cases of obstruction of public duties occurred last year, the highest figure in the past five years.

The provisional National Police Agency data for 2023 was 10,120 local media outlets reported Wednesday, citing a report compiled by Rep. Lee Dal-hee of the ruling People Power Party. There were 9,588 of such cases in 2019, 9,538 in 2020, 8,216 in 2021, and 9,569 in 2023.

Obstruction of the performance of official duties, stipulated in the Article 136 of the Criminal Act, is punishable by up to five years in prison or a 10 million won ($7,300) fine.

Lee's report showed that 92.9 percent -- or 9,398 -- of such cases in 2023 were cases of obstructing police officers. They range from openly assaulting officers to pestering them for no good reason.

In February of this year, a man in his 50s was charged with obstruction of public duties after he prank-called the police 399 times in a span of one year because he "was lonely.

But such obstruction of police can take a far more serious turn. In April, a 43-year-old man attacked police officers with a stun gun while resisting an arrest. After two officers were injured, police managed to take him down by shooting him in the leg.

In another case in May, a man in his 50s injured three officers with a saw before being arrested.

The NPA operates a counseling center to address the mental distress the police officials face in the line of duty. Some 12,244 have received therapy so far this year, which account for nearly 10 percent of all officers across the country.

With rising concern over safety of the police officers, the NPA recently introduced new protective gear, including four types of stab-proof armor and new tactical shields.

By Yoon Min-sik(minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com)