The National Police Agency announced last month that the number of crime syndicate members fell below 20,000 in 2016.
The figure dropped by about 2,000 from a year earlier to 18,100, the lowest since comparable data became available in 1958, the National Police Agency said. The number of associate members declined as well.
Reports in the media say gangs are struggling to secure financing amid police crackdowns and a growing civil movement to eliminate them, but I'm not convinced that's the only reason.