Protesters who assaulted police at Seoul vote counting center transferred to prosecutors

South Korean authorities have transferred several individuals to prosecutors in connection with assaults on police officers during ongoing protests at a vote counting center in Seoul's Olympic Park. The demonstrations, which began over a month ago, were initially triggered by ballot paper shortages during the June local elections.

On July 7, police transferred a man in his 60s to prosecutors on charges of obstructing official duties and assault. He is accused of assaulting police officers who were attempting to secure an entry route on July 2, when members of a parliamentary special committee were conducting an on-site inspection of the vote counting facility. Police also transferred two men in their 20s and one man in his 40s to prosecutors on charges of special obstruction of official duties resulting in injury. They are accused of blocking police officers on July 5, assaulting them, and falsely claiming that election officials were disguised.

In a separate incident, a woman in her 20s was transferred to prosecutors on July 6 for violating the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection, among other charges. She is accused of posting false information about the protest situation on social media.

The protests at the Olympic Park vote counting center have now entered their 34th day. The continuous demonstrations and subsequent legal actions highlight the lingering tensions and controversies surrounding the recent local elections and the integrity of the vote counting process.