Seoul court gives three men six months each for obstructing police at vote-count site
Version 2: Two further outlets, Seoul Economic Daily and Dong-A Ilbo, have now reported the same first-instance ruling; the sentence, the court custody of two defendants and the rejected deposits were already known.
In short
A Seoul court sentenced three men to six months in prison each on charges of obstructing police during a June protest at the vote-counting site in Olympic Park. Two who had been tried without detention were taken into custody in court. Prosecutors had sought one year each.
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A Seoul court on October 6 sentenced three men to six months in prison each on charges of special obstruction of official duties during a June protest at the vote-counting site in Olympic Park, in Seoul’s Songpa district. Judge Lee Joon-gu of the Seoul Eastern District Court handed down the sentences, Yonhap and other outlets reported. [ 1 , 2 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]
Yonhap, Hankook Ilbo and Seoul Economic Daily named the defendants as Park, Kim (23) and Kim (24). Park had been in custody, and the two men who had been tried without detention were detained in court after the ruling. Kyunghyang Shinmun and Hankook Ilbo reported the court cited the risk that they might flee. [ 2 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
In explaining the sentences, the court said freedom of assembly and protest must be guaranteed as far as possible but must be exercised lawfully and peacefully and in harmony with other legal interests, according to Yonhap and Dong-A Ilbo. Obstruction of official duties, the court said, neutralises the legitimate exercise of public authority and threatens officials’ physical safety, so strict punishment is needed. [ 2 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]
The court rejected the defence argument by Kim (24) that he had believed the officer was impersonating a police officer and had not conspired with the others. The officer was wearing a uniform, a cap and a vest with a name tag and was holding a radio, and had told the defendant his unit and rank, the court said, adding that anyone who truly doubted could have called 112 to check. [ 2 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
Yonhap and Seoul Economic Daily reported that the three deposited 15 million, 10 million and 10 million won respectively, and that the officer refused to accept the deposits and still sought severe punishment. The court cited the absence of prior convictions, with Park having no record of the same offence and the others being first offenders; Kyunghyang Shinmun reported that Park and one other admitted the charges and showed remorse, while the third denied them. Hankook Ilbo reported police had requested arrest warrants for all three during the investigation but that the court issued one only for Park. [ 2 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
The outlets differed on some details. Yonhap and Seoul Economic Daily listed Park as 35 and Hankook Ilbo and Dong-A Ilbo as 25, while Asia Economy and Kyunghyang Shinmun described him as being in his 20s. The words attributed to the defendants toward the officer also varied: “Chinese public security”, “fake police” and “Chinese police” appeared in different reports. Asia Economy reported that prosecutors had earlier sought one year in prison for each defendant. [ 1 , 2 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]
Why it matters
The ruling is a first-instance decision on how protest-related obstruction of police work at an election site is punished, and the court framed it as a question about the limits of assembly rights rather than about the election dispute itself. It keeps attention on the confrontation at the June 3 vote-counting site, and appeals remain possible.
Key facts
- Seoul Eastern District Court Judge Lee Joon-gu sentenced Park, Kim (23) and Kim (24) to six months in prison each on October 6 on charges of special obstruction of official duties. [ 1 , 2 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]
- The charges stem from a June protest at the vote-counting site in the handball arena at Olympic Park in Seoul’s Songpa district. [ 1 , 2 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]
- Park had been in custody; the two defendants tried without detention were detained in court after the ruling. [ 1 , 2 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]
- Prosecutors had sought one year in prison for each defendant at the September 1 hearing. [ 1 , 2 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
- The court said freedom of assembly and protest must be guaranteed but exercised lawfully and peacefully, and that obstructing official duties undermines legitimate public authority and threatens officers’ safety. [ 1 , 2 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]
- The court rejected the argument by Kim (24) that he believed the officer was impersonating a police officer and had not conspired with the others. [ 2 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
- Yonhap and Seoul Economic Daily reported the three deposited 15 million, 10 million and 10 million won respectively, and that the officer refused to accept the deposits. [ 2 , 6 ]
- Hankook Ilbo reported police requested arrest warrants for all three during the investigation, but the court issued one only for Park. [ 5 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- The Seoul Eastern District Court sentenced three men to six months in prison each on October 6 on charges of special obstruction of official duties. [ 1 , 2 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]
- The two defendants who had been tried without detention were taken into custody in court after the ruling. [ 1 , 2 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]
- The charges relate to a June protest at the vote-counting site in Olympic Park in Seoul’s Songpa district. [ 1 , 2 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]
- Prosecutors had sought one year in prison for each defendant at the September 1 hearing. [ 1 , 2 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
- The court said obstruction of official duties must be strictly punished because it neutralises the legitimate exercise of public authority and threatens officials’ physical safety. [ 1 , 2 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]
- The court rejected the argument by Kim (24) that he believed the officer was impersonating a police officer and had not conspired with the others. [ 2 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
- The defendants deposited 15 million, 10 million and 10 million won respectively, and the officer refused to accept the deposits. [ 2 , 6 ]
Still unclear
- The age of defendant Park. Yonhap and Seoul Economic Daily list Park as 35, Hankook Ilbo and Dong-A Ilbo list him as 25, and Asia Economy and Kyunghyang Shinmun describe him only as being in his 20s.
- The exact words the defendants directed at the police officer. Asia Economy quotes “Chinese public security”, Yonhap, Seoul Economic Daily and Dong-A Ilbo quote “fake police”, and Kyunghyang Shinmun quotes “Chinese police”; the outlets do not agree.
- Whether the defendants were also accused of physically assaulting the officer. Hankook Ilbo’s report mentions assault, while the other outlets describe blocking, mocking and surrounding the officer.
- Whether appeals will follow the first-instance ruling. The documents do not say whether any of the defendants plans to appeal; the sentence was handed down at first instance.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Asia Economy reports that three men in their 20s were given prison terms for mocking police at the Olympic Park vote-counting site protest. [ 1 ]
- Yonhap reports the Seoul Eastern District Court sentenced Park, Kim (23) and Kim (24) to six months each. [ 2 ]
- Newsis’s headline reports the six-month sentences and court custody. [ 3 ]
- Kyunghyang Shinmun reports the two non-detained defendants were detained in court over risk of flight. [ 4 ]
- Hankook Ilbo reports the sentences and that police had sought warrants for all three but the court issued one only for Park. [ 5 ]
- Seoul Economic Daily reports the sentences and that the officer refused the deposits. [ 6 ]
- Dong-A Ilbo’s summary reports all three were given prison terms. [ 7 ]