Losing Six Live Ammunition While On Duty, South Korean President's Office Guard Police Officer Transferred To Guard Tourists

South Korean Paspampres illustration. (Wikimedia Commons/Korean Culture and Information Service/Jeon Han)

JAKARTA - A police officer guarding the South Korean Presidential Office in Yongsan District, Seoul lost six live ammunition last Wednesday, with police having been doing it for nine days.

According to police, Thursday, an officer from the 101st Presidential Police Security Corps lost six live ammunition for a 38-caliber revolver, while on duty on May 18.

It is known that the officer lost a bullet just two days before US President Joe Biden's visit to South Korea, reported the Korea Times May 27.

Police officers in the patrol division here carry pistols loaded with one blank and five live ammunition.

However, officers from the 101st Presidential Security Corps carried a pistol in a holster, while the cartridges were placed in a separate magazine. Police suspect the officer's bullet magazine could have been opened and all of its contents lost.

On the day of the incident, officers were working in a restricted area around the presidential office, where only members of the Presidential Security Service and military personnel are permitted, and no CCTV footage is available.

Security teams immediately conducted an extensive search of the area but were unable to locate the bullet until Friday.

As a result of the incident, the police officer was removed from guarding the presidential office, assigned to escort visitors at the former presidential office and residence, Cheong Wa Dae, which has been open to the general public since May 10.

According to police, officers said they had no intention of losing the bullets. The police are concentrating on finding the missing bullets, planning to make a decision on the severity of disciplinary action for officers after the investigation ends, as well as to strengthen the weapons management system.