Protesters Block Sports Officials from Entering Seoul Gymnasium

SEOUL, June 16 (Yonhap) -- Sports officials failed to enter a gymnasium used as a ballot-counting center of the June 3 elections Tuesday, after one of the protesters blocked their entry despite an earlier agreement between the two sides.

The officials were asked to withdraw from the site due to "circumstances" that made their entry difficult, Rep. Jang Dong-hyeok of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) said, some two hours after he said protesters had agreed to allow the officials to enter and potentially end a 12-day standoff between the sides.

One protester, wearing an American flag around her waist, is said to have stood in front of the gate and resisted. The PPP leader and other protesters tried to persuade her to step aside, but she refused, Jang said.

Mobs of protesters have been blocking the 2-1 gate of the Olympic Park Handball Gymnasium in southern Seoul, demanding a rerun of the elections tainted by unprecedented ballot shortages at 26 voting station across the nation.

Officials from sports organizations under the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee have been unable to access their offices inside the gymnasium since June 5, when the protesters began the blockade to prevent the removal of ballot boxes that were brought there for vote counting. The vote count for the local elections has already been completed.

Under the agreement with the organizations and the police, two members per organization were supposed to enter the gym at a time to retrieve items they need for their work, Jang had said.

The entire process was scheduled to be broadcast live under the oversight of PPP lawmakers, and the protesters were set to check the recovered items.

Earlier Tuesday, police made three broadcasts warning the protesters of criminal punishment for obstruction of business.

Jang and other PPP lawmakers arrived at the site to deescalate tensions.

After sports officials were denied entry, Sports Minister Chae Hwi-young took to social media to voice his frustration.

"This is extremely regrettable," Chae wrote. "Who are you, and what rights do you have to use such merciless and cruel violence on our innocent sports people? Why are you taking away the workplace of our sports people? What have these people done wrong to endure such suffering? You must remove your illegal blockade of the arena immediately.

"You must stop your hypocrisy of holding innocent sports officials' livelihoods hostage and claiming that as your rightful act," the minister added. "If you ignore warnings and continue to engage in illegal acts, then the government will apply all legal measures possible to hold people accountable. Please, I hope you will all come to your senses."