Countries across the globe, including those in Europe, are waging a “war
against terrorism” as international terrorist groups such as ISIS and lone-wolf
terrorists have unleashed various large-scale attacks on rail infrastructure.
Anti-South Korean sentiment exists in Muslim-majority countries because
the nation has cooperated with the US for its military interventions in the
Middle East, and ISIS has threatened to target South Korea four times since
September 9, 2015. In addition, North Korea has been left isolated in the
international community with its missile and nuclear tests, while further
escalating inter-Korean tension and threatening to strike major facilities and
attack important figures in the South. These situations imply that South Korea
is no longer immune to terrorist attacks.
If the nation fails to prevent or deter such terrorist attacks against rail
networks, massive casualties, property damage and social confusion would be
unavoidable, deteriorating national and international trust in its counterterrorism
policies. This may lead to a national crisis involving decreases in
the number of tourists, dampened interest of foreign investors, and capital
flight.
This study aims to propose policy measures to enhance railroad security
checks, based on the work of railroad police officers, for the sake of protecting
citizens and public safety.
The suggestions include an incremental expansion of railroad security
checks; growth of the railroad police force and adjustment of their policing distribution with other police officers; enhancement of security systems across
important rail networks; improvement of the Railroad Safety Act; Southeast
Asia, including the corresponding strengthening of the national crackdown
illegal immigrants, and plans for pre-emptive and regular cooperation among
organizations related to the promotion of security checks and the prevention
of terrorist attacks.