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🇰🇷 South Korea /Elections & Politics

Seoul election protest turns radical with conspiracy theories and violence

From Hankyoreh · () Korean

Translated from Korean, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • A protest against ballot shortages during the June 3 local elections has entered its 14th day, with increasingly radical actions and bizarre conspiracy theories emerging.
  • A man was arrested after wielding a weapon and self-harming near the protest site, reportedly influenced by unfounded theories about 'human sacrifices' inside the venue.
  • False claims about the man's nationality and motives, including suggestions he was a Chinese national paid to disrupt the protest, have circulated online.

A protest initially sparked by a shortage of ballots during the June 3 local elections has now continued for 14 days, escalating with acts of self-harm and the proliferation of outlandish conspiracy theories. Concerns are mounting over the increasingly radical nature of the demonstrations.

They are killing people inside.

— Mr. GThe arrested man's shouts while wielding a weapon and threatening bystanders near the protest site.

On the night of May 17, a man in his 30s, identified only as Mr. G, was arrested near the Seoul Olympic Park handball gymnasium protest site. He was apprehended after wielding a weapon and engaging in self-harm while shouting threats. Reports suggest Mr. G was influenced by baseless conspiracy theories circulating online, particularly on the social platform Threads. These theories falsely alleged that people were being welded inside a specific entrance to the venue, suggesting a plot for 'human sacrifices' by trapping protesters inside.

However, investigations revealed the welding work was a security measure undertaken by facility management after some protesters attempted to breach the venue. Despite this clarification, Mr. G's violent actions have fueled further misinformation. Online posts falsely claimed Mr. G was a Chinese international student or that he was paid to disrupt the protest, aiming to cast the ballot shortage protest in a negative light. Police have confirmed Mr. G is Korean.

The Democratic Party is allowing Chinese people to enter the country without visas to win elections. We cannot let the blood of the Communist Party mix with our people.

— Elderly man at protestA protester expressing xenophobic and anti-communist sentiments.

The protest site has become a breeding ground for hateful, conspiracy-laden rhetoric. One elderly man was heard shouting that the Democratic Party was allowing Chinese citizens to enter the country visa-free to win elections, expressing fears of ethnic mixing. Another woman claimed she was protesting because the 'Lee Jae-myung government' was offering preferential apartment allocations to ethnic Koreans from China (Joseonjok).

I came out because the Lee Jae-myung government is giving preferential apartment rights to Joseonjok.

— Middle-aged woman at protestA protester citing housing policies as a reason for her participation.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Hankyoreh in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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