Police to stop guarding ex-presidents' residences
Police officers guard the residence of former President Chun Doo-hwan in Seoul, Monday. / YonhapBy Kang Seung-wooThe police chief said, Monday, police officers will stop guarding the private residences of the two former authoritarian-era presidents Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo next year amid growing public calls against the duty. “We plan to reduce police officers guarding their houses by 20 percent this year and withdraw all of them by next year,” National Police Agency Commissioner General Lee Chul-sung said in a press conference.Until last year, 10 close protection agents and 80 police officers were stationed to guard the former presidents and their residences, respectively, but in January, each number decreased to 60 and 5, according to police. The decision came as more Koreans complain of taxpayer money spent on taking care of Chun and Roh _ both of whom were key figures in the 1979 military coup and the 1980 Gwangju massacre that led to a democratic movement. Several civic groups launched an online petition, Thursday, urging the government to stop deploying police
May 21, 2018