"All Retrieved Items Must Be Checked Individually"—Police, Protesters Briefly Clash Over Access to Handball Gymnasium

[Financial News] "The police must check every single item being taken out."
At around 9 a.m. on the 8th, at Gates 2 and 3 of the handball gymnasium in Songpa District, Seoul, protesters gathered at the site began shouting as police moved to secure an access route for officials from the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) and sports organizations based in the facility. At the same time, the national anthem was playing at the main entrance, and the protesters saluted the national flag.
As police controlled the area around Gates 2 and 3 and secured the access route, some protesters approached the control line and protested the entry of KSOC officials into the gymnasium.
A police official explained, "National Election Commission (NEC) staff have secured the ballots and other items," adding, "KSOC employees will retrieve only the items they need." The protesters raised their voices, saying, "The police must check every item they retrieve" and "How do you know the evidence will not be tampered with?"
A scuffle also broke out between police and protesters during the process. When a woman in her 70s tried to cross the police control line, officers stopped her, leading to a physical confrontation. Protesters nearby continued to object, but the incident did not escalate into a major clash as police maintained the line.

After police secured the access route, officials from KSOC and sports organizations with offices in the gymnasium entered the facility at around 9:20 a.m.
A standoff between police and protesters continued around the entrance while KSOC officials removed the items they needed. Protesters repeatedly chanted slogans such as "Election fraud, a new election" and "Same-day voting, hand counting." Jang Dong-hyuk, leader of the People Power Party, also visited the handball gymnasium that day. When Jang crossed the police control line and entered the facility, some protesters chanted, "Leader Jang Dong-hyuk."
KSOC explained that it entered the handball gymnasium to address disruptions to the work of sports organizations based there, caused by the prolonged restriction on access.
The handball gymnasium contains office space for 12 organizations in total: nine member sports organizations affiliated with KSOC, along with three other groups, including the Korean Society of Sport Science. As the gymnasium remained sealed off for an extended period after the election, employees of these organizations were unable to properly access computer equipment, work files, administrative documents, and accounting and contract materials stored in their offices. Access was also restricted to equipment for running competitions, as well as items needed for national team training and participation in competitions.

With a series of international competitions approaching and the organizations unable to use their office space for an extended period, calls grew within the sports community to stop allowing the disruptions to continue. KSOC and the organizations based in the facility had tried several times to enter the gymnasium but made little progress. After recently consulting with police, they decided to enter on this day.
Meanwhile, KSOC used six trucks for about an hour to remove items needed for the work of its 12 member sports organizations. The NEC plans to take no separate action to retrieve or recount the ballot boxes and ballots stored inside the counting station.
[email protected] Lee Dong-hyuk Reporter