Protester who called police 'Chinese' at Jamsil rally fined W3m, gains criminal record

A protester who publicly questioned whether police officers deployed at the Jamsil vote-counting center blockade demonstration were Chinese nationals has been convicted of defamation and fined 3 million won ($2,120).

The individual, identified only as "A," disclosed the ruling Tuesday on the social media platform X, writing that he had "become a criminal with a 3 million won fine." The court document he posted listed his occupation as a company employee, the charge as defamation, and the sentence as a 3 million won fine.

"I was not trying to maliciously attack anyone, nor was I trying to spread falsehoods I knew to be untrue," A wrote. "And yet I have ended up being sentenced to a 3 million won fine and becoming someone who has received criminal punishment."

Describing the scene, A said he had witnessed a fellow protester being struck and shoved by a police officer and had asked why the officer was being shielded, but received no answer — which led him to question whether the officer was actually a police officer.

"So I raised the question, along with suspicions that were circulating at the time, asking whether the person might be Chinese," he said. He added that the experience taught him firsthand that "the moment you publicly assert an unverified allegation as fact — even if you believed it to be true — that single sentence can become a criminal case worth a 3 million won fine."

In June, videos and posts spread across social media and online communities questioning whether officers deployed at the Jamsil protest were "Chinese police" and demanding they identify themselves by rank and name. The controversy grew as the personal information of some officers was exposed.

During the incident, a senior police inspector surnamed Kim with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Second Mobile Unit filed complaints against five men — including a YouTuber — who had followed him for more than 30 minutes, taunting him with remarks such as "Are you Chinese public security?" and "You're a Chinese person with no workplace, aren't you?" along with verbal abuse and profanity.

Kim had previously shared his feelings through the police internal network, writing: "No matter how much you hear words like human rights, safety, and citizens, it is very hard to keep your emotions in check when faced with deliberate provocation, taunting, and verbal abuse."

Meanwhile, three men in their 20s who hurled profanity at police officers during the Jamsil vote-counting center blockade protest were indicted July 31. Two were indicted without detention and one was indicted while in custody.

The three face charges of verbally abusing officers with the slur "Chinese police" and blocking their path at the protest site outside the handball gymnasium at Olympic Park in Songpa-gu, Seoul, on June 6.