At the Olympic Park Handball Gymnasium in Seoul (Songpa District ballot-counting site), employees of sports organizations tried to enter on the morning of the 16th, but protesters who gathered in response to the shortage of ballots in the 9th nationwide local elections on June 3 blocked them, thwarting the attempt again.
According to police and others on the 16th, employees of sports organizations and police sought to enter through the Handball Gymnasium's Gate 2-1 starting around 9 a.m. A standoff unfolded as protesters blocked the way.
Park Jun-tae of the People Power Party arrived at the site at about 10:30 a.m., and Supreme Council member Kim Min-su and lawmaker Kim Mi-ae also joined. Then Jang Dong-hyeok, the leader, began a sit-in in front of Gate 2-1 starting at about 11:35 a.m.
Jang said, "What must come first is not a forced dispersal but answering the voices of citizens calling for a rerun election and a special counsel," adding, "The People Power Party will hold this place."
The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) says that as the blockade protest of the ballot-counting site drags on, the nine federations housed in the Handball Gymnasium are at a standstill and are demanding access. It says preparations for international competitions are also being disrupted. Protesters, on the other hand, are continuing the blockade, saying they must guard ballot boxes and other materials inside the Handball Gymnasium.
The Songpa Police Station in Seoul has launched an investigation. The Songpa Police Station said, "Despite repeated warnings and efforts to persuade that acts obstructing the operations of the sports committee could face legal action, the unlawful situation has not been resolved," adding, "Based on collected evidence, we will immediately begin an investigation and pursue strict legal action."