A defendant receiving trial for violating the National Security Law in Jeju has been charged with forcibly molesting a female court officer during the trial.
According to Yonhap News on the 16th, the Jeju East Police Station has charged a man in his 50s, referred to as A. He is accused of forcibly molesting a female court officer during his trial held at the Jeju District Court on the 14th at 2 p.m.
A was indicted last year for forming a dissident group in Jeju and conducting espionage activities under orders from North Korea, which is a violation of the National Security Law. During the trial that day, a female audience member, referred to as B, caused a disturbance due to dissatisfaction with the proceedings. When the court ordered her to leave, a clash ensued between the court officers trying to escort her out and B's group, as she ignored the directive.
The court temporarily recessed, and A, who was seated in the defendant's area, approached the audience section. A is reported to have made inappropriate physical contact while trying to check the badge of a female court officer who intervened in the altercation.
The police plan to investigate the details of the incident, including analyzing the closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage from the courtroom.