Police kick off 2-month crackdown on reckless motorists

The South Korean police said Tuesday they had commenced a nationwide clampdown against groups of reckless drivers and motorcyclists across the country, which will continue until Aug. 31.

Groups of people riding motorcycles or driving cars aggressively without obeying the traffic law are known locally as pokjujok.

Although they are not motorcycle gangs or other organized crime groups, the dangerous driving in itself has sparked concern. In a recent case on June 25 in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, some 40 motorcycles and a car -- most of which were illegally modified -- drove around the city at high-speed while blasting loud music all night, disrupting the people in the city.

Three teenagers who were watching a similar group were struck by one of their vehicles in Gwangju.

According to the National Police Agency, all regional police branches will cooperate in the two-month crackdown. Officers will monitor various social media pages and reports filed to the 112 emergency hotline to find potential hot spots and dispatch the officers to those areas as a preliminary measure.

Police forces mobilized to crack down on problem drivers include the special operations unit, but they will not engage in risky high-speed car chases. Instead they plan to secure evidence and pursue criminal investigation afterward.

Officials will also clamp down on illegal modifications of vehicles, violations of which will be notified to the regional governments.