Protesters face tougher punishment

A protester attacks a policeman with a stick during a rally of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions in central Seoul on Sept. 23. The National Police Agency plans to take stern measures against violent demonstrators. / Yonhap

By Kim Se-jeong

Street protests here often involve physical clashes between protesters and police officers, resulting in injuries.

As a consequence, police have implemented tougher measures to be used against demonstrators who use violence or violate rally-related regulations.

The National Police Agency said Tuesday that it has adopted a zero-tolerance stance against those who interfere with police officers on duty, with the new measure taking effect immediately.

The police said they are adopting a tougher attitude because protester interference with police on duty has recently gone from bad to worse.

Protesters who use violence against officers will now be detained at the scene, and police will ask the prosecution to seek arrest warrants for them.

Also, there will be tougher penalties against those who cross police lines during demonstrations.

Until now, police have filmed incidents of police lines being crossed during protests and taken legal action later if necessary, or have taken people into custody if the people crossed the line and were violent toward officers. By the new rule, those crossing the line will be detained whether they use violence or not.

The police will also seek to revise related laws to toughen penalties for those who break through the lines, from sentences of up to six months in prison or 500,000 won in fines, to one year of imprisonment or fines of up to 1 million won.

However, the measures are expected to upset civic groups, who have accused the police of using violence against demonstrators. They claim police have adopted stricter regulations on rallies, such as limiting the noise level at demonstrations which makes them unable to use loudspeakers.

“If protesters face immediate detention for using violence, they may not be able to protest against illegal actions by officers during demonstrations,” said a member of the People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy. “By taking advantage of the rule to punish people only for crossing the police line, police may move the line in order to limit even peaceful rallies.”

Police also want revision of the law about the right of assembly so that rallies that continue beyond midnight are banned.

In the meantime, police said they will also focus on restoring public order on the roads. They plan to increase the number of speed cameras from the 5,839 in use now nationwide to more than 7,000 by 2017.

Police forces will then be assigned to other assignments that require close attention, such as fighting against corruption and securing public safety.