Female-Exclusive Riot Unit Exempted From Overnight Shifts Amid Fairness Concerns

It has been confirmed that female police officers under the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency experience different requirements for night and all-night shifts depending on their specific unit, even when performing similar riot police duties.

This disparity in work standards has sparked controversy regarding fairness within the police force.
While the female-exclusive riot unit under the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency is exempt from night and all-night shifts, female officers assigned to mixed-gender riot units are required to carry out night and overnight duty.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency operates both female-exclusive and mixed-gender riot units to respond to rallies and demonstrations. Currently, there are around 60 riot units under the Seoul agency, of which 1 is a female-exclusive unit.

As the proportion of female officers has gradually increased and the agency transitioned to a gender-neutral work system, the Seoul agency has been expanding mixed-gender riot units by placing female officers into existing units.

The issue is that while female officers in mixed-gender units are deployed alongside male personnel for nighttime security and overnight duties, the female-exclusive unit is not assigned to these shifts.

During nighttime security operations at Olympic Park, for instance, the Songpa Police Station assigned the female-exclusive riot unit to standby duties inside a bus rather than on-site security. The Songpa station explained that this operation followed the deployment criteria set by the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency.

Complaints are emerging from within the police force, with personnel pointing out that "it is unclear why different standards apply only to the female-exclusive riot unit, given that female officers in mixed-gender units work alongside male police officers."

As the controversy continued, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency explained that this represents operational differences arising during the process of expanding mixed-gender units.

The Seoul agency stated, "The female-exclusive riot unit, which has been operated to respond to female protesters, would lack available personnel for immediate deployment the following day if they performed night shifts, which is why they are operated separately." It added, "Female officers can choose the unit they wish to work in between mixed-gender riot units and the female-exclusive riot unit based on their personal preference."

Reported by Kim Taewon | Video Editing by Lee Eui-sun | Design by Yang Hye-min | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.