The JTBC chapter of the Journalists Association of Korea said protesters alleging election fraud confined and assaulted reporters in the wake of a ballot shortage during the June 3 local elections, and that it would take legal action.
In a statement Thursday, the JTBC chapter said, "An unprecedented incident occurred in which protesters alleging election fraud confined and assaulted JTBC reporters." It added, "We express deep anger and regret, and call for stern punishment of the perpetrators."
The JTBC chapter said, "Social affairs reporters from each media outlet were covering the vote-counting situation on-site at the handball stadium in Olympic Park." It said, "Protesters who alleged so-called 'election fraud' surrounded the entire stadium without authorization and blockaded the entrances." It continued, "Reporters at the scene faced an absurd situation in which they had to attempt an escape through windows because they felt their personal safety was threatened."
The chapter said, "Protesters threateningly blocked a JTBC reporter who came out through a window, demanding that the reporter 'prove you are not a National Election Commission employee,' and forcibly surrounded the reporter's body to restrict his movement." It said, "Some protesters began to assault the defenseless reporters."
It added, "They struck reporters with their hands, hurled a reporter's mobile phone, and grabbed and shook a reporter's bag strap until it eventually broke." It said, "They repeatedly shoved reporters with their bodies and blocked them with their arms to prevent them from moving." The JTBC chapter, which said it had obtained footage of these assault scenes, announced that it would immediately begin legal measures against the perpetrators. It also warned, "We are also preparing legal action against acts of posting reporters' personal information and photos on social media to insult them and spread false information."
The JTBC chapter stressed, "Violence against journalists goes beyond an attack on individual reporters and constitutes an act that infringes on the freedom of the press guaranteed by the constitution and the public's right to know." It called it "a grave threat that undermines the foundations of democracy."
According to police unofficial estimates, as of 5:40 p.m. that day, 2,000 citizens and conservative-leaning YouTubers had gathered at the handball stadium in Olympic Park. Protesters who had blockaded the No. 2 polling station in Jamsil 7-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul, for three days starting from the main election day on June 3 moved in front of the vote-counting site that day, shouting slogans such as "Invalidate the vote" and "Re-election."
A National Election Commission report from four years ago that read "Reduce the number of ballots further"?
