Woman in Her 40s Sentenced to 10 Months for Spitting at and Abusing Police at 'Vote-Counting Center Protest' (Update)

Obstructed the performance of official duties at vote-counting center protest
"Weak respect for the law and high risk of reoffending"

A woman in her 40s who spat at police officers and hurled abuse at them during a protest at a vote-counting center in Seoul's Olympic Park was sentenced to 10 months in prison.

Demonstrators wave U.S. and South Korean flags at the entrance to the Handball Gymnasium at Olympic Park in Songpa-gu, Seoul, where protests calling for the vote-counting site to be sealed off are continuing. Photo by Yoon Dongju.

On October 27, Presiding Judge Lee Jimin of Criminal Division 9 of the Seoul Eastern District Court sentenced Kim, 45, a woman in her 40s who had been indicted and detained on charges of obstructing the performance of official duties, to 10 months in prison.

Kim was brought to trial on charges of spitting at and verbally abusing police officers who were managing the protest outside the entrance to the Handball Gymnasium at Olympic Park in Songpa-gu, Seoul, in June. She was also accused of using her mobile phone to film police officers deployed at the scene without authorization and insulting their family members.

Judge Lee explained the reasons for the sentence, saying, "The defendant was diagnosed with bipolar affective disorder and was receiving medication, but appears to have stopped taking it on her own, and her impaired impulse control appears to have contributed to the offense." The judge added, "However, she has a record of being punished for offenses including violence and obstruction of business since February, and her weak respect for the law, including her obstruction of official duties, means there is a high risk of reoffending."

The judge added, "She has not been forgiven by most of the victims, and they have called for severe punishment. However, she reached a settlement with the police officer who was the victim of the insult, and the complaint has been withdrawn."

Kim was the first participant in the vote-counting center protest to be indicted and detained following a police investigation. On June 25, the court issued a detention warrant for Kim, citing "concerns that she may flee and the possibility of reoffending."

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