Protestor who burnt national flag being pursued

By Lee Kyung-min

Police are trying to locate a young protestor who allegedly burnt a taegeukki, the Korean national flag, during a rally to mark the first anniversary of the Sewol ferry disaster in downtown Seoul, Saturday.

Video footage of the man burning the flag has triggered a public uproar.

“We are reviewing surveillance camera recordings near the site to identify and find him,” an officer from the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency (SMPA) said.

Damaging the national flag with intent to defame the country is a crime punishable by a prison term of up to five years.

The man was one of tens of hundreds of protestors who clashed with police, who detained about 100, including 21 relatives of the ferry tragedy victims.

Police sought arrest warrants for 10 of the protestors, Monday.

They decided not to seek arrest warrants for the relatives even though they engaged in illegal activities.

“They will be given leniency given that they are going through hard times,” the officer said. “However, those who engaged in attacks on officers and destroyed police vehicles will be charged accordingly.”