Busan police scrap 281 blades amid full-on sword inspection

This photo provided by Busan Metropolitan Police Agency shows swords collected after their permits were revoked.

A monthlong inspection, prompted by a murder by a sword-wielding man two months ago in Seoul, has led to the scrapping of over 280 swords in Busan.

According to the Busan Metropolitan Police Agency on Friday, a review was completed of 85 percent, or 2,979, of the 3,482 swords registered for individual possession in Busan as of earlier this month.

Of the inspected swords, permits for 549 items were revoked. Among these, 281 swords were retrieved and disposed of due to abandonment of ownership and disqualification following background checks, including criminal records and reports of domestic violence. Most of the disposed swords, 88 percent, were long swords.

The remaining 268 swords, which have not yet been retrieved, were reported lost by their owners.

In South Korea, safety concerns regarding swords and knives have intensified following a murder by stabbing in July, in which a 37-year-old man brandished a 120-centimeter-long Japanese-style sword at his neighbor in Seoul's Eunpyeong-gu.

The fact that the suspect had legal ownership of the lethal weapon, registered and authorized by police for decorative purposes, prompted calls for ongoing monitoring to ensure the continued eligibility of sword owners.

The Act on the Safety Management of Guns, Swords and Explosives mandates the registration of any blade longer than 15 centimeters, as well as "one that has the evident danger of being used as a lethal weapon even though the blade is shorter than 15 centimeters."

Regulations for sword possession are less stringent than those for firearms in South Korea. Unlike gun permits, which must be renewed every three years, sword permits are not subject to renewal requirements.

Police officials revealed that the inspection process is ongoing to retrieve the remaining swords.

By No Kyung-min(minmin@heraldcorp.com)