Nine sport federations under the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) removed computers, laptops and administrative materials from the Handball Arena at Olympic Park in Songpa-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the 8th. It came 95 days after the June 3 local elections.
Officials from federations based in the Handball Arena began entering their offices at about 9:21 a.m. The National Election Commission and the special counsel's office for the commission went in first to preserve ballots and other materials inside the Handball Arena, and about 20 minutes later the entry began.
Employees from the federations, carrying gray boxes and more, went into the offices and hurriedly moved stacks of work-related documents, including computers. They also scooped up items such as clothing that appeared to be uniforms and pharmaceuticals.
Then, at about 10:05 a.m., they loaded the boxes onto carts and carried them out of the tally center. Some protesters objected, saying, "Do you know what's inside?" but police formed a human chain to help move the items. About 1,830 police officers were deployed at the scene.
Because protests over the "ballot shortage incident" continued in front of the Handball Arena, the federations had been unable to access their offices. But as the work stoppage dragged on and with the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games approaching, the need to secure essential items grew, leading to the removal of materials on this day.
Kim Dae-nyeon, secretary-general of the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC), said, "We faced many difficulties because administrative equipment and documents, as well as training equipment, were tied up," and noted, "In particular, with the Asian Games—an event receiving strong support from many people—right around the corner, we reluctantly requested police assistance." He added, "Now that we have taken out the equipment and documents, we will make sure there is no disruption to team operations."
Because the blockade protest in front of the Handball Arena has not ended, the federations' use of their offices is expected to remain restricted. Ham Se-hee, Secretary-General of the Korea Underwater Finswimming Association, said, "I hope this matter will be normalized as soon as possible so we can return to our workplace and carry out our duties."