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Seoul Police Open Probe After Woman’s Two-Hour Solo Blockade of Handball Gymnasium

The investigation follows a June 16 standoff that stopped a negotiated entry and deepened disputes over preservation of election materials and access to a sports venue.

A large South Korean flags flies over protesters as they surround a vote-counting centre to protest a controversy over a shortage of ballot papers that disrupted voting in the local election and to call for a rerun of the election, in Seoul, South Korea, June 6, 2026. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji
Lawmakers vote on a parliamentary investigation plan into ballot shortages reported during the June 3 local elections during a plenary session at the National Assembly in Seoul on June 18, 2026. (Yonhap)
This photo shows a parliamentary plenary session at the National Assembly in Seoul on June 11, 2026. (Yonhap)
Protesters block main opposition People Power Party and sports officials from entering the SK Olympic Handball Gymnasium, used as a vote-counting facility, in Seoul's Songpa Ward on June 16, 2026, over an unprecedented shortage of ballot papers that disrupted voting in the June 3 local elections at 26 polling stations. (Yonhap)

Overview

  • Police in Seoul’s Songpa district said they will investigate an unnamed woman who stood in front of a gate for about two hours on June 16 and prevented sports officials from entering the SK Olympic Handball Gymnasium.
  • Protesters have occupied the gymnasium since June 5 to stop removal of ballot boxes after ballot-paper shortages affected dozens of polling stations in the June 3 local elections.
  • Sports federations have been denied access to offices and equipment inside the venue, forcing national athletes to travel without personal gear and disrupting preparations for international events.
  • A conditional entry deal negotiated by People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok collapsed when the solo blockade continued, and critics say police failed to enforce access before opening their probe.
  • A joint police-prosecution investigation of the June 3 shortages and limited court evidence-preservation orders are under way, and public debate now centers on how to secure ballots, hold officials responsible, and restore trust in the election agency.