▲ Signs are posted in front of the ballot counting station at the Olympic Park Handball Gymnasium in Songpa-gu, Seoul, on June 16, the 12th day of a protest blocking the site, which was sparked by a ballot shortage during the June 3 local elections.
Police have identified one of the participants in the protest blocking the Jamsil ballot counting station as a suspect in the assault of a reporter covering the June 3 local election count and have launched a formal investigation.
On June 16, the Seoul Songpa Police Station announced, "We have identified one of the suspects involved in the illegal acts, including the assault on a reporter that occurred at Olympic Park in Songpa-gu on the 5th, and have summoned them for questioning."
The police stated, "We take the gravity of this incident, which threatens freedom of the press, very seriously and plan to conduct a swift and thorough investigation."
Previously, the JTBC branch of the Journalists Association of Korea reported that some protesters who had blocked the Olympic Park Handball Gymnasium, where the votes were being counted, assaulted a reporter from their network as the reporter was leaving the site.
The victim claimed that they were assaulted while attempting to escape through a window after the exits were blocked.
A video has also spread online showing a protester hitting the reporter and throwing their mobile phone to the ground while demanding that the reporter "prove they are not an election commission official."
(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.