Minister of the Interior and Safety Yoon Ho-jung said in connection with the blockade protest at the Olympic Park Handball Gymnasium in Songpa District, Seoul—stemming from the shortage of ballot papers in the 9th nationwide local elections (June 3 local elections)—that "acts that undermine the rule of law in our society, such as private inspections or occupying facilities, cannot be justified for any reason."
The Minister released a public address at Government Complex Seoul on the 16th, saying, "As the rally has dragged on for more than 10 days, there have been numerous illegal cases in some protest activities that infringe on the law and social order, which is very regrettable," and stated accordingly.
The Minister said, "The government will guarantee to the fullest extent permitted by law any lawful rally to correct the infringement of suffrage and restore democracy," but added, "Privately controlling the access of officials with legitimate authority, obstructing the performance of legitimate duties, and gratuitously insulting police officers are grave crimes that, under the pretext of suffrage violations, damage others' rights and can never be tolerated."
She added, "We will track down to the end and hold strictly accountable all acts that infringe on the lives and safety of the people," and said, "We will also take strong measures against 'the dissemination of false information' that threatens public order, such as deleting related posts and blocking the account."
The Minister also said the government would pursue uncovering the facts behind the ballot paper shortage and improving related systems.
The Minister said, "The people's suffrage is a constitutional right that must not be restricted or infringed upon for any reason," adding, "Through the joint prosecution-police investigation headquarters, we are striving to thoroughly uncover the full picture of this situation and clearly establish accountability."
She added, "We will create a deliberative public forum with participation from all walks of life, including a youth representative, and actively cooperate with the National Assembly's parliamentary inquiry to identify problems in the election management system and prepare improvement measures."
The nine sports organizations that use offices in the Handball Gymnasium arranged a plan that afternoon for entering the building with People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok and others. Police and People Power Party lawmakers were to accompany them, and broadcast camera reporters were to air the process live. The sports organizations also decided to allow protest participants to check items that staff took out from the offices.
However, as of 3:10 p.m. that day, some protest participants were blocking the entrances, preventing officials of the sports organizations from going inside.
Yu Jae-seong, the acting commissioner general of the Korean National Police Agency, who attended the public address, said in response to reporters' questions about future measures, "We respect the legitimate voices regarding the infringement of citizens' suffrage; however, we plan to respond strictly to individual illegal acts that occur in the process."