Zero Tolerance of Illegal Protests

On November 24, the government expressed its intolerance of violent demonstrations, saying, “Both leaders of the illegal and violent demonstrations and those behind them will surely be brought to justice.”

On the same day, Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook presided over a meeting with ministers at the prime minister’s office in Samcheong-dong, Seoul to discuss how to cope with the violent protests. At the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education and Human Resources Development Kim Shin-il, Minister of Justice Kim Seong-ho, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Park Hong-soo, Minister of Government Administration and Home Affairs Lee Yong-seop and Minister of Labor Lee Sang-soo issued a joint statement, which declared, “We will no longer tolerate violent demonstrations. All necessary measures will be taken to prevent violence, including criminal penalties and civil claims for damages.” The ministers have made it clear that they will show “zero tolerance” toward illegal and violent protests.

“Zero tolerance” describes an enforcement policy launched in 1994 by Rudolph Giuliani, former New York mayor, and William Bratton, former commissioner of the New York City Police Department. The policy focused on minor offenses such as public urination, prostitution and begging, and eventually drove down crime rates in Harlem, once notorious for the highest crime rate in New York City, by as much as 40 percent in just two years.

After the announcement of the ministerial joint statement, Minister of Justice Kim Seong-ho explained, “In the future, the authorities will place a ban on the assemblies organized by groups with a record of illegal activities. In the rest of the cases, permissions will be granted based on the nature and potential influence of gatherings.”

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