As a prolonged protest outside a ballot-counting site at Olympic Park in Songpa-gu, Seoul, shows no sign of ending, emergency psychological support has been provided to some officers who reported mental distress after being deployed to the scene.
According to materials the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency submitted to the National Assembly on Wednesday, 16 officers who served at the ballot-counting site protest — now in its third week — have received emergency psychological counseling. The agency said it provided the support to 16 volunteers among officers who had been injured or otherwise affected while on duty, describing the measure as aimed at preventing trauma and other psychological harm among officers who experienced shocking incidents.
Repeated clashes between some protesters and officers have continued to cause friction, prompting the agency to take an increasingly proactive approach to mental health support. On Tuesday, an officer at the ballot-counting site protest was subjected to an act of humiliation. Songpa Police Station arrested a woman in her 40s on the spot Wednesday on charges of obstructing the performance of official duties after she spat on an officer and hurled verbal abuse at him.
Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency chief Park Jeong-bo said in a letter to officers on June 10 that the agency would provide psychological and legal support to officers injured or harmed at the protest site. The agency has set up an on-site legal consultation office at Songpa Police Station to assist officers who have experienced illegal acts in pursuing civil and criminal remedies. Officers reporting psychological harm are being guided through the process of filing for work-related injury recognition and receiving psychological treatment.
In the letter, Park expressed his gratitude to officers in the field, saying, "I sincerely thank my colleagues on the front lines who are quietly dedicating themselves to public safety and order amid the grave situation that continues day after day in connection with the local elections." He added, "I and the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency command will always be a strong shield for you."
The agency has vowed to take a hard line against threats and acts of humiliation directed at officers at the protest site. At a press briefing on June 15, Park warned that those who join in illegal acts at the ballot-counting site protest could face ruin if charged as accomplices, adding, "We can make arrests whenever we choose to."
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