SEOUL– The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said Tuesday it will conduct an inspection on the recent mysterious disappearance of six live bullets at a special police unit assigned to guard the presidential office in Yongsan, central Seoul.
The incident occurred on May 18, when an officer from the 101 Presidential Police Security Corps lost a pouch containing six live bullets for a .38-caliber revolver while on duty. The officer found the disappearance of his bullet pouch after work on the day, and the police unit has so far been searching for the missing ammunition without success.
President Yoon Suk-yeol started working in the new presidential office compound relocated from Cheong Wa Dae on May 10, and U.S. President Joe Biden visited South Korea from May 20-22 for his first summit talks with Yoon.
A ranking official of the Seoul police agency said it will take punitive measures against those responsible for the loss of bullets after the inspection and come up with measures to prevent a recurrence of similar incidents.
“The missing bullets have yet to be found though data from all surveillance cameras in and around the police unit has been analyzed. The search has also been carried out with various possibilities in mind, and I’ve heard that even a luggage search has been ongoing with the consent of unit members,” the official said.
The official added that the police unit has strengthened its internal education on the prevention of the loss of weapons and is mulling over the introduction of a double locking device for live bullets.
Source: Yonhap News Agency