▲ Participants chant slogans in front of the entrance to the Olympic Park Handball Gymnasium in Songpa-gu, Seoul, on June 18, where a protest blocking the vote counting center continues following the ballot paper shortage incident during the June 3 local elections.
Police are investigating reports that an unidentified individual damaged the lock on a basement entrance and trespassed into the Olympic Park Handball Gymnasium, where protests have been ongoing for 15 days due to a "ballot paper shortage."
The gymnasium, which served as the vote counting center for the Jamsil area during the June 3 local elections, has been blocked by citizens since June 5 who are attempting to prevent the removal of ballot boxes and ballots.
The Seoul Songpa Police Station received a complaint from the facility management company stating, "It appears that an outsider damaged the lock on the basement entrance of the Handball Gymnasium and trespassed at night on June 7 to film the interior."
The police have launched an investigation to identify the suspect, noting that charges such as property damage and trespassing could be applied.
If the allegations are true, it implies that someone managed to bypass the protesters' blockade to enter and exit the counting center, which is expected to spark significant controversy regarding the identity and motives of the intruder.
Concerns have also been raised that it may take time to determine the exact circumstances, as the ongoing protests limit the police's ability to verify the site.
Recently, a video has been circulating on social media showing someone welding a door located under the stairs next to the 1-3 entrance of the Handball Gymnasium.
This has fueled conspiracy theories, such as claims that there is an attempt to "trap protesters inside the stadium to cause a fire or a stampede," as well as assertions that "there is an underground passage connecting the Handball Gymnasium to the adjacent Gymnastics Arena."
A netizen requested information regarding the welding from the Korea Sports Promotion Foundation, the agency that manages the Olympic Park facilities.
The netizen later shared the agency's response online, which stated, "It was confirmed that an outsider arbitrarily damaged the lock on the entrance in question and trespassed at night on June 7 to film the interior, which led to the welding of the door."
(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.