During the Feb. 7-25 period, the police and the ministry will operate a rapid response team composed of police investigators and immigration officials.

The team will engage in patrol and inspection operations in seven major areas, including the Olympic Plaza in PyeongChang and the Gyeongpodae area in Gangneung, that are expected to be crowded with foreign visitors during the Olympics. It will launch crackdowns on foreign people who enter the country illegally or stay without a legitimate permit.

In case of muggings or mass violence, the team will turn to big data held by the two organizations to help confirm the identities of foreign suspects quickly.

They developed a mobile system in February this year that allows them to access information on the identity and stay of foreign visitors on a real-time basis. They apprehended 640 perpetrators involved in the illegal brokering of foreigners entering and leaving the country from February to April. (Yonhap)