Olympic committee demands government action to end election protesters' blockade

Korea's national Olympic body on Monday demanded government action regarding protesters who have been blocking entry to offices for sports federations housed inside a ballot counting site for the recent local elections.

Protests calling for a rerun of the June 3 elections have been going on for the past 11 days, after ballot shortages at polling stations disrupted the proceedings. Thousands have been rallying outside the SK Olympic Handball Gymnasium in Songpa District, southern Seoul, and have blocked entrances to keep election officials from removing ballot boxes. They have also kept employees of the nine national sports federations based in the arena from entering their offices.

Representatives from those sports organizations have said their administrative work has been paralyzed. The Korea Underwater Association, for instance, said the protests have disrupted its preparations for the finswimming world championships set for next week in Incheon, just west of Seoul. The Korean Fencing Federation has not been able to bring equipment to its athletes competing in the Asian championships starting this week in India, and the fencers have been forced to borrow swords.

Protesters have refused to budge, accusing sports officials of trying to sneak out ballot boxes. Some protesters have even been accused of searching through the personal belongings of youth handball players at the stadium.

Against this backdrop, Ryu Seung-min, president of the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC), made an appeal at a press conference Monday, joined by representatives from the sports federations being affected.

"The situation has created massive financial losses and has had a negative impact on support that must be provided for our athletes preparing for the Asian Games [in September]," Ryu said. "We'd like to ask for authorities to step in and help these sports organizations get just the bare essentials to resume their operations."

Ryu insisted the KSOC and its member organizations do not want any violent clashes.

"We all respect the right to assembly as guaranteed by the Constitution," Ryu said. "However, no rights must infringe upon other rights or violate public functions. Sports administrators, athletes and coaches who use the arena have nothing to do with the ongoing situation [with ballot shortages], and yet they're enduring the most severe damage. We can no longer sit idly by as the dreams of our athletes continue to be ruined. We strongly demand that entry to sports offices inside the stadium be allowed again immediately."

Ryu also said the KSCO is prepared to take "any possible legal action" against protesters, including criminal proceedings.

"We ask the government and police to recognize the severity of damage against our sports organizations and to swiftly prepare solutions," Ryu added. "We've been pushed to the limit. We have tried to negotiate with protesters, but we have run out of answers. The situation has been getting worse, and the sense of anxiety among our athletes and coaches has been growing."

Names of the officials joining Ryu at the presser were withheld for safety reasons. They said they and some of their colleagues have faced verbal abuse on site and received threats via text messages or phone calls after their contact information was shared among protesters during negotiations seeking entry to their offices.

"Our right to work must be respected as much as people's political rights," one representative said. "I hope protesters will open the doors to the stadium democratically so that we can get back to our workplaces."

Earlier in the day, Seoul police chief Park Jeong-bo said the blockade of the stadium is "a clear illegal act" and warned that protesters could face investigation for obstruction of business.

Yonhap