| The National Assembly Building (Lee Sang-seob/The Korea Herald) |
A total of 6,096 incidents of individuals carrying unauthorized weapons inside the National Assembly were reported between 2021 and October, according to data released Thursday by the National Assembly Secretariat.
According to the report compiled by Rep. Park Choong-kwon of the main opposition People Power Party, this included 5,179 cases of carrying a blade, 558 possession of tools that could be used as a weapon, such as a hammer, 127 possession of gas guns, 49 possession of pistols, four involving a stun gun, and 179 cases involving other types of weapons.
Most cases were due to mistakes, such as security officials or police officers forgetting to declare the weapons. Illegal blade possession mostly involved box-cutters or utility knives that were used as tools, according to Park's report.
On March 31, a man in his 70s was found carrying a knife used for camping while going through a security checkpoint. Security officials allowed him to leave, since the foldable knife was too rusty for use and posed no real danger.
But there were some cases of unexplained weapons found inside the parliament building, such as a hatchet and brass knuckles that were found inside a bathroom on Oct. 1.
Park said the recent sting of unauthorized weapon possession inside the parliament building represents a severe security risk.
There have been 146 disturbances inside the National Assembly since 2021 that were significant enough to require police assistance. One such case happened in September when a woman in her 70s assaulted Rep. Sung Il-jong of the People Power Party during an event inside the parliamentary building.
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