"Every item being taken out must be checked individually"...Police, protesters briefly clash over stadium access

[Financial News] "Every item being taken out must be checked individually."
At around 9 a.m. on the 8th, loud protests erupted among demonstrators gathered in front of Gates 2 and 3 of the handball gymnasium in Songpa District, Seoul. Police were securing an access route for officials from the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) and sports organizations based at the venue. At the same time, a national ceremony was being broadcast at the main entrance, and participants saluted the national flag.
As police controlled the area around Gates 2 and 3 and secured the access route, some participants approached the control line and protested KSOC officials' entry into the gymnasium.
A police official explained to the participants that election commission staff had installed all the necessary safety equipment and that KSOC employees would retrieve items they needed. The participants responded angrily, saying, "Every item being taken out must be checked individually."
A physical scuffle also broke out between police and participants during the process. When a woman in her 70s attempted to cross the police line, officers stopped her, leading to a brief struggle. Other participants continued to protest, but the confrontation did not escalate because police maintained the control line.

After police secured the access route, officials from KSOC and sports organizations with offices in the gymnasium entered the venue at around 9:20 a.m.
A standoff between police and participants continued around the entrance while KSOC officials removed the items they needed. Participants repeatedly shouted slogans such as "Election fraud, another election" and "Same-day voting, hand counting." People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyuk also visited the handball gymnasium that day. When Jang crossed the police control line and entered the venue, some participants chanted, "Leader Jang Dong-hyuk."
KSOC said the purpose of entering the venue was to address disruptions to the work of sports organizations based there, which had been unable to access the gymnasium for an extended period.
The handball gymnasium contains office space for nine KSOC-affiliated member sports organizations and three other groups, including the Korean Society of Sport Science. As the venue 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, accounting records, and contract materials stored in their offices. Their access to equipment needed to run competitions, as well as for national team training and participation in competitions, was also restricted.

With international competitions continuing, voices grew within the sports community that the disruption could no longer be left unaddressed after the organizations had been unable to use their office space for an extended period. KSOC and the organizations based at the venue had also made several attempts to enter the gymnasium.
Meanwhile, KSOC estimated that it would take about one hour for the nine member sports organizations to remove the items needed for their work that day.
[email protected] Lee Dong-hyuk Reporter