Sixth Day of Jamsil Counting Center Blockade… Sports Organizations ‘Paralyzed’, On the morning of the 10th, citizens and representatives of the Korea Sports Council are confronting each other in front of the counting center set up at the Olympic Park Handball Stadium in Songpa-gu, Seoul, protesting against the shortage of ballots in the 9th National Local Elections. June 10, 2026. Newsis
On the 10th, marking the sixth day of the “Jamsil Counting Center Blockade” protest sparked by the ballot shortage incident during the June 3 local elections, sports organizations stationed at the Olympic Park Handball Stadium in Seoul attempted to enter the venue but were blocked once again by protest participants.
Employees of the Korea Sports Council and sports organizations tried to persuade the protesters to open the gates around 8:15 a.m., but their request was not granted.
After about two hours of confrontation, they withdrew from the scene around 10 a.m., with plans to attempt entry again later in the day.
The protesters have been blocking the entrances to the stadium since the 5th to prevent access to the voting boxes from the Jamsil polling station, where the ballot shortage occurred. They believe sports organization staff might remove voting papers, which is why they are restricting access.
Police present with the sports organization staff proposed a condition to the protesters: they would show their IDs and allow a representative of the protesters to accompany them inside, inspecting all items brought out.
The police explained, “The employees need to work today to receive their salaries,” but a protester retorted, “We are here to protect what’s inside; entry is not allowed.” Some protesters argued for allowing entry, saying, “Blocking access is illegal occupation” and “We came for suffrage, not to disrupt work,” but the hardliners’ stance prevailed.
Currently, the Handball Stadium houses nine sports organizations, including the Korea Handball Association, Korea Fencing Federation, Korea Alpine Federation, Korea Wushu Association, and Korea Sepaktakraw Association. Due to the ongoing protests since the 5th, employees have struggled to commute to work, causing operational disruptions.
According to the Korea Sports Council, some organizations need to pay allowances to athletes, coaches, and referees by today. These organizations insist on at least retrieving devices like OTPs for bank transactions or corporate seals.
A representative from the Korea Underwater and Finswimming Association, who visited the scene, expressed urgency, saying, “We are hosting the World Championships with participation from 36 countries. It’s not a domestic event we can cancel. All our materials and supplies are inside.” The representative also mentioned considering filing a complaint against those blocking office access.
Meanwhile, the National Police Agency stated the previous day that “some participants are obstructing the passage of innocent citizens or unlawfully searching others’ belongings, leading to unfortunate incidents,” and that they “are closely cooperating with facility managers to actively support citizens’ passage, while increasing dialogue officers and deploying Seoul Metropolitan Police leadership at the site.”