Police are investigating 289 participants in connection with the blockade protest at the Jamsil ballot-counting site, which began in the wake of the ballot paper shortage during the 9th nationwide local elections (June 3 local elections) and has continued for more than a month.

Park Jeong-bo, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency commissioner, said at a regular briefing on the 13th that police are currently investigating a total of 99 cases and 289 people related to the protest in front of the handball arena at Olympic Park in Songpa-gu.

Participants chant slogans calling for a rerun election near the Olympic Park Handball Gymnasium in Songpa-gu, Seoul, on the 5th, as the Jamsil blockade protest continues over a shortage of ballot papers in the June 3 local elections. /Courtesy of News1

As of the 6th, there were 83 related cases, but within a week the number rose to 99. Park said the number of cases increased as officers who were insulted online by protest participants submitted the posters' IDs.

Police are looking into allegations including obstruction of business at the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC), illegal searches of the youth national handball team, insulting and obstructing police in the line of duty, and assaulting reporters. The Songpa Police Station in Seoul has in succession referred participants to prosecutors among those for whom allegations were confirmed of obstructing the exercise of public authority, including assaulting police officers.

A woman in her 40s, a person surnamed Kim, who asked an officer's name at the protest site on the 23rd of last month and then spat, was the first participant to be indicted. Kim was arrested on the 25th of last month on charges including filming officers at the scene with a cellphone, saying "I will check if you are Korean police," and hurling insults at officers' families. The first trial will be held on the 21st at the Seoul Eastern District Court.

A man in his 60s who assaulted a police officer on the 2nd while officers were blocking members of the National Assembly's "June 3 local election ballot paper shortage incident special investigation committee" from entering the counting site was arrested on the 4th and handed over to prosecutors on the 8th.

In addition to these cases, the Songpa Police Station referred four participants without detention: one woman in her 20s, two men, and one man in his 40s.

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