Woman indicted and detained over spitting on, verbally abusing police at election protest

A woman was indicted and detained for allegedly spitting at and verbally abusing police officers during a protest regarding the June 3 local elections, marking the first indictment related to the protest, which entered its 39th day on Monday.

The woman, surnamed Kim, was indicted and detained last Tuesday on charges of obstructing official duties, according to legal sources on Monday.

Kim is accused of filming a police officer without permission using a mobile phone and verbally abusing the officer while saying, “There needs to be an investigation into the personal information of Chinese nationals,” on June 23 during a protest over the ballot shortages in the local elections.

The demonstration took place outside the SK Olympic Handball Gymnasium at Olympic Park in Songpa District, southern Seoul, which served as a ballot counting center for the local elections. Protesters have blocked the entrance to the gymnasium since Election Day to prevent officials from collecting the ballot boxes inside. 

Kim is also accused of spitting on the officer during the confrontation.

Police arrested her at the scene and later sought a detention warrant. The court held a pretrial detention hearing on June 25 and issued the warrant, citing concerns that Kim could flee and reoffend.

Kim appeared at the warrant hearing and responded to reporters’ questions by calling the elections rigged and demanding that ballots cast on Election Day be hand-counted. After the hearing, she also claimed to have been assaulted by police.

Her first trial is scheduled for July 21.

BY SHIN HYE-YEON [[email protected]]