▲ Yoo Seung-min, president of the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC), speaks during a press conference held by the KSOC and sports organizations housed in the Olympic Park Handball Gymnasium at the Seoul Olympic Parktel in Songpa-gu, Seoul, on June 15.
The protest blockading the Jamsil vote-counting station, triggered by a shortage of ballots during the June 3 local elections, has entered its 11th day.
As protesters refused to lift their blockade of the Olympic Park Handball Gymnasium, which was used as a vote-counting station, the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) requested police intervention today (June 15).
Meanwhile, Jeon Han-gil, a former Korean history instructor who has been alleging election fraud, filed a complaint against officials of the National Election Commission (NEC).
"We request that public power be deployed as quickly as possible to support the secretariat so that it can run smoothly," KSOC President Yoo Seung-min said during a press conference this afternoon.
Warning the protesters, he said, "We clearly state that we will thoroughly verify the facts and review all legal response options, including civil and criminal liabilities."
Since June 5, protesters have been occupying the entrances of the Handball Gymnasium to prevent the removal of ballot boxes after the vote count was completed. Their unified slogan is "Re-election for Rigged Election, Same-Day Voting and Hand Counting."
As of 4 p.m. today, an unofficial police estimate placed the number of gathered protesters at around 1,000.
Believing it is impossible to disperse the protesters in the short term, the police are preparing for a prolonged standoff.
Regarding the consecutive damages suffered by sports organizations due to the blockade, the police maintain that charges of obstruction of business can be applied to the protesters.
During a regular press briefing this morning, Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Commissioner Park Jeong-bo warned against actions such as protesters searching the belongings of ordinary citizens without authorization, saying, "If you mindlessly join in illegal acts and are charged as an accomplice, it could lead to your ruin."
Some of the protest participants announced plans to hold a rally near the former presidential office of Cheong Wa Dae in Jongno-gu at 5 p.m. today.
They agreed that to resolve the situation, they must urge President Lee Jae-myung to take practical measures.
Following Jeon's complaint, the police will also investigate Wi Cheol-hwan, the acting chairperson of the National Election Commission, and officials of the Songpa Election Commission.
This comes as Jeon submitted a complaint to the Seoul Songpa Police Station this afternoon, accusing them of dereliction of duty and violating the Public Official Election Act.
Prior to filing the complaint, Jeon disclosed to reporters election-related items that he claimed the election commission said had gone missing or were discarded at the Jamsil 7-dong No. 2 Polling Station. These included two ballot storage boxes, marking stamps, and approximately 1,700 voter verification slips.
The voter verification slips are a type of voter receipt that can be exchanged for ballots.
Jeon argued that the fact that such a large volume of voter verification slips remained intact is proof that the Jamsil 7-dong No. 2 Polling Station failed to properly verify voters.
Jeon submitted the items to the police along with the complaint.
Within the police force, which is handling both the response to the protests triggered by the ballot shortage and the subsequent investigations, the leadership's response to insults targeted at on-site officers has come under scrutiny.
Representatives of the Seoul Police Workplace Association held a press conference in front of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency at 10 a.m. today, criticizing, "The solemn duty and responsibility of the uniform, as well as the pride of on-site police officers, are being crushed by ruthless insults and violence."
Diagnosing the current situation as a "neutralization of public authority," the representatives urged an end to insults and other actions targeting on-site officers.
They also demanded that the National Police Agency devise concrete measures to protect personnel responding to the protests on the ground.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.