Park spoke into microphone at Hyehwa Station protest, backing independent candidate

Hyehwa Police cite public speech with amplification device as basis for referral

NPAD head says he was unaware the remarks constituted an election law violation

Standing Co-representative Park Kyung-seok of the National Solidarity Against Disability Discrimination takes part in a prostration protest on the Seoul subway last month. [Yonhap]
Standing Co-representative Park Kyung-seok of the National Solidarity Against Disability Discrimination takes part in a prostration protest on the Seoul subway last month. [Yonhap]

Park Kyung-seok, standing co-representative of the National Solidarity Against Disability Discrimination (NPAD), has been referred to prosecutors on charges of violating the Public Official Election Act after using a microphone to urge support for a specific candidate during a disability rights protest.

Hyehwa Police Station referred Park to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office on Sept. 23 on charges of violating the Public Official Election Act, police said Thursday. The case has not yet reached the indictment stage. A station official said the referral centered on Park's "public speech using a microphone."

The incident stems from a disability mobility rights protest NPAD held on the morning of May 22 near a bus stop outside Hyehwa Station in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Park and other NPAD members demonstrated in front of Bus No. 104, holding a banner that read: "Enact the Transportation Mobility Rights Guarantee Act for the mobility-impaired! Discriminatory buses, OUT."

During the protest, Park took the microphone and mentioned Jo Sang-ji, who was running as an independent candidate for Seoul City Council in the Jongno District 2 constituency in the local elections. "He has pledged to firmly guarantee mobility rights for people with disabilities," Park said. "Please support someone who can put that into practice."

The civic group Jayu Daehan Hogukdan filed a complaint with police, arguing the remarks constituted campaigning using an amplification device not permitted under the Public Official Election Act. Article 91 of the act restricts the use of amplification devices for electioneering except in cases specified by law. The complaint also included allegations of obstruction of traffic, obstruction of business and violations of the Assembly and Demonstration Act.

Police referred Park on the election law charge first after completing their investigation. The other allegations named in the complaint remain under investigation.

Park said by phone that he had not known the conduct violated election law. "I was questioned by police once on Sept. 22," he said. "I had absolutely no awareness that it constituted an election law violation."

Park also said he had been registered as a campaign aide for Jo at the time. "The candidate has a disability that makes it difficult to speak directly or on the spot, so I simply spoke as his aide," he said.

However, Park said the remarks were not coordinated with or requested by Jo's camp in advance. "Jo is a person with a severe disability who left an institution and is living independently in the community — I wanted to support that and raise our voices together," he said. He also criticized the current election law, saying it "contains far too many discriminatory elements for candidates with disabilities and is structured in a way that forces elections to be run around non-disabled people."

Meanwhile, the police investigation continues into Min Pu-reum, an activist with the Seoul Solidarity Against Disability Discrimination who was named alongside Park in the complaint.


jookapooka@heraldcorp.com