Lee Hyo-jin covers the Bank of Korea, the banking industry and broader financial news. Her previous beats include foreign affairs, North Korea and general reporting on Korean society.
Peaceful one-person protest in front of US ambassador's residence should be allowed: rights watchdog
By Lee Hyo-jin
The nation's human rights watchdog said Wednesday that peaceful one-person protests in front of the U.S. ambassador's residence should be allowed, and recommended law enforcement authorities to guarantee such demonstrations.
The National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) delivered the opinion in response to a petition filed by a man who organized a solo demonstration in front of the ambassadorial residence in downtown Seoul's Jeong-dong from Oct. 25 to 27, 2019.
National Human Rights Commission of Korea headquarters / Korea Times file
By Lee Hyo-jin
He planned the event in protest of the then-U.S. administration's demand for Korea to increase its share of costs to maintain 28,500 U.S troops stationed in the country.
One-person protests are not subject to the law on demonstrations and assemblies, so a solo protester is not required to report the protest plan to police in advance.
According to the petitioner, police officers guarding the residence blocked him when he arrived at the site along with three other people. They were told by police that the demonstration had not been reported in advance.
When the colleagues tried to film the scuffle, the officers attempted to seize the camera without a warrant.
In the end, the petitioner was ordered to stage his demonstration at least 100 meters away from the residence.
For their part, law enforcement authorities explained that they did not view it as a one-person protest, as the man was accompanied by his three colleagues.
The officers noted that their actions were based on a request from the U.S. embassy to beef up security following an incident a week earlier, in which a group of student activists broke into the compound. They also said such measures were inevitable under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
In response, the human rights watchdog said the man's demonstration can be seen as a one-person protest, as the others were there only to film the protest and share it on social media.
It also added that the Vienna Convention, which refers to a general obligation to protect the ambassadorial residence, should not be regarded as a legal basis to violate freedom of speech.
“We recommend law enforcement authorities run education programs for police officers at the security department to guarantee citizens' rights to stage peaceful one-person protests,” the commission said in a press release.