Man in His 60s Arrested for Obstructing Special Committee's Ballot Counting Site Investigation: "Risk of Flight"

Police took forceful action to move protesters who blocked the entrance to the Handball Gymnasium at Olympic Park in Songpa-gu, Seoul, on the 2nd, to allow on-site verification by the National Assembly Special Committee investigating the shortage of ballots during the June 3 local elections. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

A man in his 60s was arrested on July 4 on charges of assaulting a police officer while obstructing an on-site investigation at Olympic Park by members of the National Assembly's Special Committee for the Investigation.

Judge Seong Hyunchang of the Seoul Eastern District Court, who was on duty, conducted a pretrial detention hearing for Mr. A, a man in his 60s accused of interfering with official duties, at 3 p.m. that day. After the hearing, the judge issued an arrest warrant, citing concerns that he might attempt to flee.

Mr. A is accused of using violence, including pushing a police officer who was trying to move protesters, as the committee members entered the Handball Gymnasium at Olympic Park on July 2.

At the time, protesters resisted and attempted to block the entry of the special committee, which had come for an on-site investigation, but were sequentially removed by police. The police explained that this was not a forced dispersal, but rather a relocation measure based on the Police Officers’ Performance of Duties Act.

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