'Arrested in Bus Protest' Park Kyung-seok... Struggle with Police During Transfer

Obstruction of Business and Violation of Road Traffic Act Charges
Refused to Get Off for Over 30 Minutes After Arriving at Police Station

Park Kyung-seok, the representative of the National Solidarity for the Elimination of Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities (Jeonjangyeon), who staged surprise protests blocking bus operations in various parts of downtown Seoul for three consecutive days, was arrested on the 14th. He also had a scuffle with the police for a while during the process of being transported for investigation.

The Yeongdeungpo Police Station in Seoul arrested Park on the spot on charges including obstruction of business and violation of the Road Traffic Act. Park is accused of blocking the front of city bus number 5618 on the road in front of the Glad Hotel in Yeouido, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, for three minutes from 2 p.m. that day, thereby obstructing its operation.

After being arrested, Park was transported to the Namdaemun Police Station in Seoul at around 3:48 p.m. for investigation, but during this process, a scuffle occurred over the fact that the transport vehicle was not equipped with wheelchair safety belts.

Park said, "They did not comply with my request to call a taxi for the disabled and transported me in a vehicle without belts to secure the wheelchair," and demanded that the chief of Namdaemun Police Station come out and apologize, refusing to get off for more than 30 minutes. Eventually, the police moved the transport vehicle into the station around 4:30 p.m. to forcibly make Park get off.

The police arrested Representative Park on the 14th at around 2:10 PM near National Assembly Station on Uisadang-daero, Yeouido-dong, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, on charges of obstruction of business and violation of the Road Traffic Act during a protest.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Park and other activists from Jeonjangyeon have been continuing surprise protests by occupying bus-only lanes since the 12th. On the 12th, Jeonjangyeon blocked buses for about 10 minutes at Jongno 1-ga in Jongno-gu, and on the 13th, they staged blocking protests on the roads in front of Hyehwa-dong Rotary and Marronnier Park. Before his arrest, Park held a protest for five minutes at a bus stop in front of the Women’s Plaza in Dongjak-gu, Seoul, around 8 a.m. that day, and was forcibly moved.

A police official said, "Despite repeated warnings from the police due to multiple instances of obstructing bus operations, they announced they would continue to obstruct bus operations," adding, "Due to severe inconvenience to citizens caused by the obstruction of bus operations, he was arrested on the spot."

Since May last year until January 20 of this year, Park has been under investigation for violating the Assembly and Demonstration Act by occupying roads and obstructing train operations through assemblies or boarding protests at locations such as Samgakji Station, Sinyongsan Station, and Gyeongbokgung Station in Seoul. He was sent to the prosecution without detention on the 6th.

Meanwhile, Lee Gyu-sik, the representative of the Seoul Solidarity for the Elimination of Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities, is also under investigation at Yeongdeungpo Police Station after being accused of illegally modifying an electric wheelchair (violation of the Medical Device Act).