Korea Porous to Concealed Weapons Ahead of G-20
Concealed weapons made of plastic that may not be detected at ports of entry are being freely traded, calling for prompt measures ahead of the G-20 summit that is slated for November in Seoul. According to police and airport authorities Sunday, some plastic or ceramic knives are not banned under current law.
About 10 types of U.S.-made concealed weapons are being traded over the Internet, Yonhap said.
They are made from such materials as zytel and grivory, both reinforced plastics. Some of them have blades over 18 centimeters and can inflict fatal injuries.
They are classified as "pseudo-knives" in Korea because they are not made of metal, and so can be possessed without legal permission.
Making them even more problematic is that it is highly likely that terrorists could smuggle them in, considering that current checks are not fool-proof. Only 10 percent of arrivals undergo thorough checks by hand and metal detectors fail to provide 100 percent detection.
Plastic and ceramic knives can penetrate multilayered plywood and easily puncture a can as seen in footage posted on You Tube.
The introduction of full-body scanners is expected to fall short of covering attempts to smuggle these plastic-made weapons.
First, these scanners will only be installed at four ports of entry ㅡ Incheon, Gimpo, Gimhae and Jeju ㅡ leaving other airports and seaports uncovered.
Secondly, there are no other ways other than being patted down to detect them but there are too few security officials around to deal with every passenger.
"It is so easy to order these dangerous items over the Internet using borrowed accounts," a police officer said. "It costs 6,500 won to 25,000 won to buy one."