(2nd LD) Sports federations enter handball stadium 3 months into ballot shortage protest

Nine sports federations under the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee regained access to their offices at the Olympic Handball Gymnasium in southern Seoul on Tuesday, three months after being locked out due to protests over ballot shortages during the June 3 local elections. The offices were previously inaccessible to members of the Korea Handball Federation and the Korea Fencing Federation, among others, as protesters refused to let them inside, raising concerns about potential evidence tampering.

The protests began on June 5 following the ballot shortages, with demonstrators alleging election fraud and demanding a re-run of the elections. Approximately 50 protesters were present at the stadium on Tuesday, but police erected barricades to prevent them from gaining entry. There were no physical confrontations reported by the police.

A special counsel team investigating the ballot shortages and officials from the National Election Commission were also granted access to the site prior to the sports federations' entry.