Police identify, summon woman over solo blockade of vote counting center
A woman blocks officials of sports organizations under the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee from entering the SK Olympic Handball Gymnasium in Seoul's southern ward of Songpa, June 16. Joint Press Corps
Police have identified a woman who staged a solo blockade of a vote counting center after the June 3 local elections and issued a summons for her to appear for questioning, sources said Wednesday.
On June 16, the woman, said to be in her 30s, stood outside a door to the SK Olympic Handball Gymnasium in southern Seoul, which had been used as a ballot counting center, to prevent anyone from going inside amid an ongoing standoff between protesters demanding a rerun of the elections and sports organization officials trying to enter the gym to access their offices.
The protests, which are now on their 20th consecutive day, began after shortages of ballot papers were reported at multiple polling stations on election day, causing some voters to turn back without casting their ballots.
To end the standoff, lawmakers of the main opposition People Power Party had negotiated a deal with the protesters to let the sports officials inside, but the agreement fell through after the woman blocked the door and demanded the preservation of ballots and ballot boxes that remain in the gym.
Police reportedly plan to question the woman on suspicions of obstruction of business.
Within far-right political groups, she has earned the nickname "Oldarc," short for "Olympic Park Jeanne d'Arc."