Police Dismiss Complaint by Jeon Han-gil Over Ahn Gwi-ryeong ‘Martial Law Troop Gun Seizure’ Case

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[The Financial News] Police have dismissed a case in which former Korean history instructor Jeon Han-gil filed a criminal complaint against Ahn Gwi-ryeong, Deputy Spokesperson for the Office of the President of the Republic of Korea, who grabbed the barrel of a martial law soldier’s rifle during the December 3 emergency martial law.
Seoul Yeongdeungpo Police Station announced on the 10th that it had dismissed the complaint and decided not to refer the case for prosecution. The complaint had been filed by Jeon and former commander of the 707th Special Mission Group, Republic of Korea Army Special Warfare Command, Kim Hyun-tae, accusing Ahn of attempted robbery of military property and attempted aggravated robbery, among other charges.
Dismissal is a disposition in which police review a complaint or accusation and close the case when they determine there is no criminal suspicion. Police are said to have concluded that, as a matter of law, the alleged offenses attributed to Ahn are difficult to establish.
Previously, on the 24th of last month, Jeon submitted a complaint to police, arguing, "Deputy Spokesperson Ahn told the public that martial law troops threatened civilians with firearms and that she herself was threatened, but in reality it was a case of attempting to seize a firearm." He further claimed, "The truth is that Deputy Spokesperson Ahn and citizens, including those from the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), tried to seize the martial law troops’ firearms in order to incite a riot."
He went on to say, "You can also see people nearby trying to help her. This was not a simple protest or accidental contact, but a coordinated attempt to seize a firearm with divided roles," adding, "Even if Deputy Spokesperson Ahn had not acted that way, martial law could still have been lifted. Her actions do not fall under justifiable self-defense or necessity."
By contrast, attorney Yang Sung-woo, representing Deputy Spokesperson Ahn, countered in a written statement that "the prior act was the martial law troops first grabbing Deputy Spokesperson Ahn’s arm, forcibly dragging her away, using physical force, and raising the gun barrel to threaten her." He argued, "In that urgent situation, all Ahn did was instinctively resist the physical threat directed at her and defend herself."
He also stated, "The declaration of the December 3 emergency martial law and the deployment of military and police forces to the National Assembly have been found to be unconstitutional and unlawful acts constituting the crime of insurrection aimed at subverting the constitutional order." He added, "It is legally untenable to file criminal complaints for offenses such as robbery of military property or obstruction of official duties against citizens who, at the time, resisted or tried to stop these actions within the National Assembly compound."
psh@fnnews.com Park Sung-hyun Reporter