Prosecutors Arrest and Indict 30-Year-Old for Assaulting Parliamentary Candidate During Election Campaign

[Asia Economy Reporter Song Seung-yoon] The Criminal Division 5 of the Seoul Northern District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Seo In-seon) announced on the 11th that a man in his 30s, Mr. A, was arrested and indicted on charges of assault and violation of the Public Official Election Act for assaulting a National Assembly candidate who was campaigning inside a subway station.

Mr. A is accused of assaulting Lee Nam-soo, the Justice Party candidate for Nowon-byeong (then a preliminary candidate), and four election campaign workers around him while campaigning inside Dangogae Station in Nowon-gu, Seoul, at around 7 p.m. on the 18th of last month.

During the police investigation, Mr. A reportedly stated that he assaulted the candidate and others because they looked at him in an unpleasant manner.

It is reported that Mr. A is the first person to be arrested and indicted for obstructing election freedom under the Public Official Election Act ahead of the 21st National Assembly election.

Under the Public Official Election Act, the crime of obstructing election freedom by assaulting or threatening candidates or others is punishable by imprisonment of up to 10 years or a fine ranging from 5 million to 30 million won.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.