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

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(ATTN: UPDATES with more details, remarks from Olympic committee in paras 8, 12-14)

SEOUL, Sept. 8 (Yonhap) -- A group of national sports federations on Tuesday entered their offices for the first time in three months after being locked out due to protests over ballot shortages during the June 3 local elections.

Members of nine sports federations under the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) made their way into their offices under police escort at the Olympic Handball Gymnasium in southern Seoul, which served as a ballot counting site for the local elections.

The sports bodies, including the Korea Handball Federation and the Korea Fencing Federation, had been unable to enter their offices as protesters refused to let them inside, raising concerns of evidence tampering.

Police take down an election protest banner at the entrance of the Olympic Handball Gymnasium in southern Seoul on Sept. 8, 2026, to enter the stadium. (Yonhap)

Protesters first showed up at the sports arena on June 5 following the ballot shortages to block access to its entrances, claiming election fraud and demanding a rerun of the elections.

Around 50 protesters gathered at the stadium Tuesday but police installed barricades to block them. No physical clashes took place, according to the police.

The number of protesters has sharply declined in recent weeks after tens of thousands had gathered in the early days of the protests.

Police said a special counsel team investigating the ballot shortages and National Election Commission officials entered the site before the sports groups in order to preserve evidence, such as ballot papers.

Rep. Jang Dong-hyeok, leader of the main opposition People Power Party, also visited the stadium to check if election equipment were properly preserved.

The Olympic committee said it requested cooperation from the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency to enter the stadium and take out their belongings, noting doing so was essential to prepare for the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games set to kick off in Japan on Sept. 19.

The committee had previously tried multiple times to enter the stadium but they failed as protesters refused to cooperate.

Sports officials moved out boxes of belongings inside their offices Tuesday, including computers and documents, and loaded them on trucks waiting outside the stadium.

Some protesters complained about what the boxes contained and chanted slogans calling for a rerun of the elections.

Kim Dai-nyeon, secretary general of the KSOC, told reporters the federations had faced a lot of difficulties over the past three months as they were unable to access documents and equipment stuck in their offices.

"With the Asian Games just around the corner, we requested police cooperation, and I would like to express my deep gratitude to the police for their active cooperation and to the public for their support," he said.

A handball federation official voiced relief that they were able to enter their offices, noting they would have likely faced difficulties in providing support for athletes competing in the upcoming Asian Games if they remained locked out.

Police mobilized about 1,830 personnel for the operation, vowing to take stern measures against illegal activities, such as blocking sports officials from entering their offices.

Sports federation officials pack up their belongings inside their office at the Olympic Handball Gymnasium in southern Seoul on Sept. 8, 2026, after entering the stadium for the first time in three months due to ongoing protests over ballot shortages during the June 3 local elections. (Pool photo) (Yonhap)

yunhwanchae@yna.co.kr (END)

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

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（注意：第 8、12-14 段包含更多细节更新和奥委会的评论）

首尔，9月8日（韩联社）——由于6月3日地方选举期间选票短缺引发抗议，一些国家体育联合会的办公室被封锁了三个月，周二，这些体育联合会首次进入了他们的办公室。

韩国体育奥林匹克委员会 (KSOC) 下属的九个体育协会的成员在警察的护送下进入了位于首尔南部奥林匹克手球体育馆的办公室，该体育馆是地方选举的计票地点。

包括韩国手球协会和韩国击剑协会在内的体育机构一直无法进入其办公室，因为抗议者拒绝让他们进入，这引发了人们对证据被篡改的担忧。

2026年9月8日，在首尔南部奥林匹克手球馆入口处，警方拆除了一幅选举抗议横幅，以便进入体育馆。（韩联社）

6月5日，由于选票短缺，抗议者首次出现在体育场，封锁了入口，声称存在选举舞弊，并要求重新举行选举。

周二约有50名抗议者聚集在体育场，但警方设置路障阻止他们进入。据警方称，没有发生肢体冲突。

抗议活动初期曾有数万人聚集，但近几周来，抗议人数急剧下降。

警方表示，负责调查选票短缺问题的特别检察官小组和国家选举委员会官员在体育团体进入现场之前进入了现场，以便保存选票等证据。

主要反对党国民力量党党首张东赫议员也前往体育场视察选举设备是否得到妥善保存。

奥委会表示，他们已请求首尔地方警察厅协助进入体育场并取出他们的物品，并指出这样做对于准备将于9月19日在日本开幕的爱知-名古屋亚运会至关重要。

委员会此前曾多次尝试进入体育场，但均以失败告终，因为抗议者拒绝合作。

周二，体育官员们将办公室里的物品（包括电脑和文件）搬出，并装上停在体育场外的卡车。

一些抗议者抱怨箱子里的东西，并高喊口号，要求重新举行选举。

韩国奥委会秘书长金大年告诉记者，过去三个月里，各联合会面临很多困难，因为他们无法获取滞留在办公室的文件和设备。

“亚运会即将开幕，我们请求警方配合，我谨向警方的积极配合和公众的支持表示衷心的感谢，”他说。

一位手球联合会官员表示，他们能够进入办公室感到很欣慰，并指出如果他们继续被拒之门外，他们可能难以向参加即将到来的亚运会的运动员提供支持。

警方为此行动调集了约 1830 名人员，誓言要对非法活动采取严厉措施，例如阻止体育官员进入办公室。

2026年9月8日，由于6月3日地方选举选票短缺引发的抗议活动持续三个月，体育联合会官员三个月来首次进入位于首尔南部奥林匹克手球馆的办公室。图为官员们收拾行李。（联社照片）（韩联社）

yunhwanchae@yna.co.kr (完)

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