By Kim Hyun-bin
Anyone who assaults a 119 emergency worker or gets in the way of firefighting operations will now face strong punishment.
The Seoul Metropolitan Fire and Disaster Headquarters has launched a 119 investigative unit, focusing on investigating those who impede its officers engaged in emergency responses.
This is the first time for a city government to set up such a unit.
“This is the first 119 investigative unit that aims to investigate wrongdoings properly and protect the public's basic rights as well as maintain an environment where officials can engage in their work professionally and safely,” said Chung Moon-ho, director of the Seoul Metropolitan Fire and Disaster Headquarters.
The investigative unit will consist of special investigators.
They will work in three shifts 24 hours a day and will be in charge of all kinds of activities that hinder fire operations.
The unit will be under the direct supervision of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office and will be able to arrest, indict and hand cases over to the prosecutors.
Every fire station in Seoul has investigators on standby. However, due to the lack of firefighters, they are kept busy with other tasks and are subject to frequent personnel reshuffles.
Many criticized that the investigators were not professional as they were unable to strongly punish violators.
Since 2015, there have been 155 cases of assaults on firefighters, but special investigators working at fire stations have indicted only 57 individuals. The police investigated the remaining 98 cases.
Due to the harsh working conditions of emergency workers, many assault cases have not been handled properly as investigators failed to arrive promptly at the scene of a crime.
The new 119 special investigative unit will be working directly under the Seoul Metropolitan Fire and Disaster Headquarters to crack down on violators.
In recent years, there has been an increase of assaults of emergency crewmembers. The public has been calling for stricter punishment.
In May, a drunken man hit a female emergency medical technician's head during a rescue operation. She was hospitalized for a month, but ended up dying. This ignited public outrage. Soon after, Public Administration and Security Minister Kim Boo-kyum addressed the nation to strengthen punishment for any assaults of emergency personnel engaged in their duties.