South Korean Police Handguns: More Powerful Than You Think

South Korean police mainly use S&W handguns
Revolver requires manual reloading each time
Due to the manual of the Korean police

The police, along with the military, are the public authority that protects the nation. Therefore, in emergencies, they must be able to exert physical force to protect citizens. Hence, the authority to use firearms is granted, depending on the situation.

One might think that to exert this public authority effectively, they would use automatic handguns. However, all South Korean police officers use revolvers. Even in urgent situations, why would they use a revolver that requires cumbersome manual reloading?

Police using S&W M60
Improved from the previous M10

The handgun used by the South Korean police is the Model 60 from Smith & Wesson, a U.S. company. Despite its simple design and short barrel, it exhibits high accuracy. The South Korean police used the company’s M10 revolver, but since 2006, they have introduced this gun, and currently, most active-duty police officers commonly use it.

While the previous model, the M10, which loads 6 rounds, weighed nearly 1kg (~2.2lbs) when unloaded, the M60, which uses 5 rounds, weighs only 864g (around 1.9lbs) even with the most extended 5-inch barrel for high accuracy, making it lighter than the M10.

They use various bullets in order
Revolver is a convenient choice

A revolver requires manual loading of each bullet. In other words, the person loading each bullet can choose which one to load. According to the police manual, of the total 8 chambers, the first one should be empty to prevent accidental discharge if the gun is dropped, the second one should be loaded with a blank round with no bullet, and live rounds should be loaded from the third chamber onwards.

If this sequence were to be applied to a typical automatic handgun, it would take a considerable amount of time to load each magazine, and carrying multiple magazines loaded with bullets in this order would be necessary. Therefore, the revolver, which can easily manage this loading sequence, is more advantageous for the police.

The safest lethal weapon?

Thus, a revolver, by adhering to these regulations, is generally perceived as the safest lethal weapon for both the police and the citizens. Unlike the military, the police encounter unexpected situations more frequently, and therefore, the possibility and frequency of using firearms are higher.