President Lee: "Police Officers at the Scene Are Also 'Citizens in Uniform'... Detention and Assault at Jamsil Protest Cannot Be Tolerated"

"Actions that cross the line cannot be tolerated"
"Deep gratitude to all police officers... Closely monitoring the protest site"

On June 10, President Lee Jaemyung expressed strong concern regarding allegations of ongoing insults and assaults against police officers at the Jamsil protest site, stating, "Police officers at the scene are also 'citizens in uniform'." This message is interpreted as emphasizing that while citizens' freedom of expression must be protected, acts of violence against police officers and surrounding citizens cannot be tolerated.

Police officers are changing shifts in front of the entrance to the Handball Stadium at Olympic Park in Songpa-gu, Seoul, on the 9th, where the "Jamsil Counting Center Lockdown Protest" demanding a re-election in condemnation of the shortage of ballots in the June 3 local elections is ongoing. 2026.6.9 Yonhap News agency.

On this day, President Lee posted on X (formerly Twitter) under the title "Police officers at the scene are also 'citizens in uniform'," writing, "Insults and mockery against police officers deployed to the Jamsil protest site by some protesters have crossed the line." He continued, "There are reports of police officers being branded as 'fake police,' subjected to verbal abuse, and even being detained and assaulted without hesitation." He pointed out, "It is incomprehensible and unacceptable that such incidents are blatantly occurring in broad daylight."

Protests have continued around the counting center in the Jamsil area following the ballot shortage incident in the June 3 local elections. Some protesters have remained on-site, raising suspicions of electoral fraud and demanding a re-election, while the police have deployed personnel in preparation for unexpected situations. During the ongoing blockade protest at the Jamsil counting center, there have even been incidents where some participants forcibly searched others' belongings.

President Lee stressed, "Police officers are precious family members to someone and are citizens in uniform. Violence against police officers, who are working to protect the safety and rights of citizens, only puts citizens at risk and undermines the democratic public sphere."

He further stated, "Free expression and debate among citizens should of course be guaranteed, but actions that cross the line cannot be tolerated." He added, "I hope that irrational acts of violence against police officers at the scene and citizens nearby will no longer occur."

Officials from the Seoul Eastern District Court are leaving after conducting an on-site verification at a senior center in an apartment complex, which served as the second polling station in Jamsil 7-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul, during the June 3 local elections. June 10, 2026 [Joint Coverage] Yonhap News Agency.

President Lee also addressed the police officers on-site, saying, "I extend my deep gratitude to all police officers who are dedicated to maintaining order in the community despite the many challenges." He added, "We are closely monitoring the situation at the Jamsil protest site."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.