A current police officer, who was jeered at and cursed by protesters gathered at Olympic Park in Seoul to protest the shortage of ballots in the 9th nationwide local elections held simultaneously (the June 3 local elections), posted a message appealing for the restoration of police authority.
According to police on the 10th, Senior Inspector Kim Min-gyu, head of the security division at the 2nd Mobile Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, posted a message titled "Where has police authority gone" on the Korean National Police Agency intranet the previous day.
Kim said that on the 5th at the protest site, the protesters surrounded the officer and hurled insults such as "Try the radio" and "Are you an outcast," and that a video of the scene later spread along with the false claim that it showed "Chinese police."
Kim said, "Teachers are making steady efforts to restore fallen teaching authority," adding, "Now we need to reflect on where our human rights and pride stand, and if they have fallen more than necessary, how we can restore them."
Kim went on to say that the Jamsil protest would be considered a successful rally by its participants "because despite being an unreported assembly, it has not escalated into a riot or major violence and, visibly, has shown orderly conduct so far, receiving hardly any restraint from the authorities," moving beyond "the major blunder at the Western District Court."
However, Kim said, "In this process, most small-scale illegal acts and deviations are not being corrected." Kim added, "Going forward, the pattern of protests may shift to testing how far the police will tolerate them," and "The pressure on the police will become that much harsher, and our patience and pride will not be strong enough to withstand it."
Kim also said, "I hope there will be more attempts, with a measure of courage, for the police to take responsibility for mistakes, correct them, and yet not become weak but overcome them."
Earlier, the Korean National Police Agency said it would respond strictly to illegal acts that occur during protests. The Korean National Police Agency said, "We will respect and actively protect legitimate expressions of opinion that fall under constitutional basic rights," but added, "We plan to take strict action against clear illegal acts such as assault, defamation, and coercion targeting citizens, journalists, and police and fire officials."