Sports organizations under the Korean Sports Council successfully entered the handball arena in Jamsil, Seoul, on September 8, to retrieve necessary equipment in preparation for the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
With the assistance of police, 12 member organizations, including the Korea Handball Association and the Korea Fencing Association, gained access to the handball arena at Olympic Park in Songpa-gu at 9 a.m.
This marked the first entry into the venue since the blockade of the ballot counting center began 95 days ago due to a shortage of voting materials during the June 3 local elections. The organizations had meticulously planned their approach and assigned roles prior to entering the arena.
To ensure a smooth entry for the sports organizations, approximately 2,000 police officers, including 28 riot police units and dialogue police, were deployed to maintain order. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency sent a public safety officer to oversee the operation, with the scene being managed by the head of the riot control unit and the chief of the Songpa Police Station.
The staff entered through gates 2 and 3 of the arena. As they approached, about 50 protesters attempted to block their entry, but police quickly intervened, preventing any major clashes.
Once the entrance shutter was raised and the doors opened, the staff hurried into their offices to gather materials and equipment needed for the competition. Reports indicate that police allowed them about an hour to collect their items.
By around 10:10 a.m., the staff had successfully moved most of their belongings, loading them onto six trucks waiting at the entrance.
At 10:20 a.m., officials from the Korean Sports Council lined up the staff at the entrance, and as the doors opened, they exited the arena safely under police escort.
Unlike in June when the protests began, the number of demonstrators had significantly decreased, and on this day, attendance was notably lower. Those who were unable to enter the arena due to police barriers shouted insults at the staff and police from outside the line, mentioning the name of President Lee Jae-myung and criticizing the government.
On the same day, Jang Dong-hyuk, the leader of the People Power Party, made a surprise visit to the handball arena, accompanied by party members Park Jun-tae and Kim Chung-kwon. According to officials from the Korean Sports Council, Jang's visit had not been coordinated in advance.
Guided by police, Jang toured various areas of the arena. Notably, in front of the storage area where election materials were kept, he asked election commission staff several questions.
Speaking to reporters, Jang expressed, "I heard that the ballot boxes have been stored here in a completely uncontaminated state since the day they were moved here during the local elections. However, three months have passed since then. The police have claimed strict access control and that the CCTV has been functioning properly, but citizens cannot know the truth."
He added, "Thanks to the citizens, a special investigation into the election commission was launched yesterday. I urge a thorough investigation without any doubts and to reveal the results, whatever they may be. I also ask the police to check if there were any other access routes to the handball arena and to conduct a forensic examination of the CCTV footage to confirm that no evidence has been tampered with," before leaving the arena.
After the equipment retrieval was completed and the situation concluded, the Korean Sports Council expressed gratitude to the public.
Kwon Dae-nyun, Secretary General of the Korean Sports Council, told reporters, "We faced many difficulties over the past 90 days. Administrative equipment, documents, and athlete support materials were stuck in the office, making it challenging. With the Asian Games approaching, we had no choice but to request police assistance twice, and they cooperated actively. We had many challenges in our preparations, but now that we have retrieved the equipment and documents, we will carefully review them to ensure there are no disruptions to the operation of the athlete delegation."
Ham Se-hee, Secretary General of the Korea Underwater and Fin Swimming Federation, also expressed gratitude, stating, "We were unable to access the arena and had to prepare a temporary office to carry out our work. However, thanks to the cooperation of the citizens today, we were able to retrieve essential items such as computer units, laptops, and other documents, which I am very thankful for."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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