Lawmakers Forced to Retreat Amid Jeers; Police Investigate Woman Who Blocked Gym Access

[Anchor]

Following the People Power Party yesterday (June 16), Democratic Party lawmakers visited the vote-counting station at Seoul Olympic Park today, but they were forced to turn back after just 10 minutes due to backlash from protesters. Meanwhile, the police are set to launch an investigation into the woman who blocked access to the sports organization's office yesterday.

Kwon Min-kyu reports.

[Reporter]

This marks the 13th day of protests blocking the vote-counting station at the Seoul Olympic Park Handball Gymnasium.

Democratic Party lawmakers Cheon Jun-ho, Jeon Yong-gi, and Im Oh-kyung, a former handball player, visited the protest site.

As they approached Gate 2-1, where sports organizations had attempted to enter yesterday, protesters reacted strongly.

[Why are you here! Why!]

Representative Cheon stated, "The ruling and opposition parties will work together to ensure the truth is uncovered through a parliamentary investigation into electoral system reform," but his remarks were met with no support.

[Cheon Jun-ho/Democratic Party Lawmaker: I respect your voices in protecting the right to vote. However, I believe the activities of the sports association must be guaranteed.]

Jeers and profanity were shouted, and the lawmakers left after 10 minutes.

[Rigged election! Rigged election!]

Protesters continued their sit-in at various locations around the handball gymnasium today, monitoring the entry of outsiders.

Despite the police warning of a stern response, using the term "ruin," nothing has changed.

Yesterday, it appeared that an agreement might be reached as the People Power Party leadership stepped in, but those efforts were thwarted when a female protester blocked the door.

[Park Dae-chul/People Power Party Lawmaker (Yesterday): (The sports association) will not have any access to the ballot boxes. (We don't trust it!)]

Because there is no unified communication channel or clear organizer, hard-won agreements frequently return to square one.

[Protester: We don't have any leaders. We should help the other side maintain their livelihood within reasonable limits. (We don't agree. We don't agree.)]

Experts point out that strict application of the law is necessary to prevent the situation from becoming prolonged.

[Professor Yeom Geon-woong/Department of Police and Fire Administration, Woosong University: They must be strictly charged with obstruction of business. This is also because they have demonstrated the power of a crowd.]

The police plan to launch an investigation into the woman who single-handedly blocked the entrance to the offices of organizations under the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee on charges including obstruction of business.

Reported by Kwon Min-kyu | Video by Oh Won-chun and Kim Seung-tae | Video Editing by Kim Yoon-sung | Graphics by Seo Seung-hyun
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.