A woman in her 30s who blocked sports organizations from entering the Handball Gymnasium at Olympic Park in Seoul, saying she was guarding the ballot-counting site set up there, avoided detention.
Seo Beom-jun, the warrant-division presiding judge at the Seoul Eastern District Court, rejected an arrest warrant on the 21st after holding a pretrial detention hearing for a woman in her 30s, identified as A, accused of interfering with business. Judge Seo said the warrant was denied because "the risk of destroying evidence or fleeing is not recognized."
A, known as "Oldeulle D'Arc" ("Joan of Arc of Olympic Park"), is accused of blocking access to the venue by an organization under the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) on the 16th of last month while wearing a U.S. flag around the waist. Despite persuasion from People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok and KSOC President Ryu Seung-min, among others, she reportedly held the door for about two hours.
The arrest warrant application for A reportedly stated that she committed a serious obstruction of business that nullified an agreement reached by a lawmaker from the main opposition party, the KSOC president, and police, creating a situation where it was unclear when the blockade of the ballot-counting site would be lifted, and that stern punishment was needed to prevent the emergence of so-called "second and third Oldeulle D'Arc."
Meanwhile, Judge Seo also rejected an arrest warrant last month on the 8th for a man in his 30s accused of illegally searching the belongings of the women's junior national handball team that had entered the Handball Gymnasium (coercion with special circumstances). The reason was that there was no risk of destroying evidence or fleeing.
By contrast, an arrest warrant was issued for one of three men accused of obstructing a special official duty by cursing at a police officer at the ballot-counting site on the 6th of last month, calling the officer "Chinese police," and blocking the way.