South Korea's National Police Agency (NPA) said Friday that it will set up task forces to deal with drunk people who are caught obstructing the public duty of police officers.
The task forces will be run by at least two officers in police stations nationwide, with some being operated by a team of up to six investigators, depending on the neighborhood.
"We decided to set up a task force to deal with those who habitually get drunk and interfere with the execution of public officials' duties, because such people disturb not only the police, but also families and neighbors," an NPA official said.
Police plan to step up their crackdown on drunks by requesting arrest warrants for those who are found to have previously used violence against family members or neighbors, created a commotion while drunk or caused anxiety to others.
Critics have, however, cast doubts over the possibility of arresting suspects simply for their drunken behavior, citing the courts' strict conditions for issuing warrants.