Police move protesters at Jamsil vote-counting site, support special committee's entry

[Financial News] Police moved protesters who had occupied the entrance to the Handball Gymnasium in Olympic Park in Seoul’s Songpa District, helping the National Assembly special committee for a parliamentary investigation carry out its on-site verification.
According to police on the 2nd, about 1,500 officers were deployed to the rally site at the Olympic Park vote-counting venue, including 100 dialogue police officers, 200 detectives, and about 20 riot police units.
Police moved to disperse protesters gathered around the entrance in order to secure access routes for committee members. From around 12:20 p.m., officers were stationed around the main entrances and worked to clear passageways. Instead of the entrance where the protesters had concentrated, authorities decided to use another access route and moved the people occupying that area outside.
At the scene, police and protesters clashed in a scuffle. Through loudspeaker announcements, police warned that obstructing the passageway or assaulting or threatening officers could lead to charges such as obstruction of official duties. During the relocation process, police arrested a man in his 60s who shoved officers and used violence.
One protester claimed to be injured and was taken to a hospital with help from the 119 Emergency Medical Service. Some participants protested the police action, but other demonstrators tried to restrain them. Among those moved, tempers flared and shouting and profanity were exchanged.
After committee members and police secured the access route, the atmosphere at the scene gradually calmed. The lawmakers entered the vote-counting site at around 1:10 p.m. and conducted their inspection. It came 27 days after the blockade protest began.
A woman known as "Oldark" — a blend of Olympic Park and Joan of Arc — also appeared at the protest site. Figures who have raised allegations of election fraud, including Hwang Kyo-ahn, leader of Freedom & Innovation, and producer Lee Young-don, also visited the scene.
yesji@fnnews.com Kim Ye-ji Reporter