South Korean court acquits disability activist in police clash

A South Korean appellate court has acquitted an activist from the National Solidarity Against Disability Discrimination (SADD) who was charged with obstructing public duty and causing injury to a police officer.

The incident occurred in November 2023 during a protest in Seoul. The activist, a social worker assisting a person with a severe disability, was accused of pushing a police officer who was attempting to lift a protester off the road and back into a wheelchair following a dispersal order.

While the lower court initially imposed a fine of 4 million won, the Seoul Central District Court overturned the ruling. The appellate court ruled that the police dispersal order was likely unlawful. The court noted discrepancies in police reports, which labeled the event as an ‘unreported assembly’ despite the protest having been pre-registered. Additionally, the court found that the police failed to follow proper legal procedures, which require at least three dispersal orders before direct intervention.

Because the police action was deemed an unlawful infringement, the court concluded that the activist’s actions constituted legitimate self-defense to prevent an unjust interference.