Number of Gangs on Rise
By Kim Rahn
Staff Reporter
There are roughly 221 organized crime rings with 5,413 members in the country, with the number increasing steadily, according to data provided to Rep. You Jung-hyun of the Grand National Party. It compares with 5,057 members in 213 gangster groups in 2006 and 4,601 in 207 crime rings in 2004.
Gyeonggi Province has the largest number of crime organizations, 28, followed by Seoul, 23. In Seoul and Busan, the number of gangs slightly decreased but that of their members rose, indicating the rings are getting larger in size.
This year, police cracked down on 1,558 gangsters as of July, with the largest number, 302, being caught in Seoul and nearby metropolitan areas. They caught 3,203 gang members in 2004, 2,793 in 2005, 2,559 in 2006 and 3,968 last year.
``The police's intensive crackdown and surveillance of crime rings is needed. More strengthened measures are required in regions where the number of gangs is rising, such as South Gyeongsang Province and Daejeon,'' Rep. You said.