'We want to go back to work': Sports bodies plead for access to blockaded venue

Sports organizations caught in the crossfire of protests over a ballot shortage by the National Election Commission issued a public appeal Thursday. Groups based at the Olympic Park Handball Gymnasium in Songpa-gu, Seoul, said demonstrators blockading the vote-counting site inside the complex have effectively shut down their offices, and urged the government and local election authorities to act.

About 200 executives, staff and officials from 12 sports organizations at the venue released a joint statement saying they respect citizens' right to protest and speak out, but added, "We also have the right to work." They said they have been unable to enter their offices since June 5. "The blockade has sealed every entrance to the gymnasium," the statement read. "What is trapped inside is nothing other than our workplace."

The groups said employees have faced safety threats while trying to get to work. Some staff who had been stranded inside escaped through windows, while others attempting to enter got into confrontations with protesters.

"Employees trying to come to work had their ID cards checked and their bags searched, and they were gripped with fear," the statement said. "We are ordinary workers who have shown up every day and dedicated ourselves to Korean sports. Why should we have to feel this afraid just trying to do our jobs?"

The organizations said they made three attempts on June 9 and June 10 to negotiate access with protesters surrounding the gymnasium, but all failed. Even a minimal request — to retrieve corporate cards, official seals and accounting documents needed for banking, under the protesters' supervision — was ultimately refused, leaving them unable to access administrative materials that must be kept on-site.

As a result, the groups said, a wide range of critical functions have ground to a halt, including national certification exams for sports instructors, preparations for international competitions, domestic event operations, payment of allowances to athletes, coaches and referees, and tax filings. "The public's right to enjoy sports and maintain their health also matters," the statement said. "The harm is being passed on to organizations, athletes and citizens who have done nothing wrong."

The groups closed by demanding to know what the government was doing, and called on the Songpa-gu election commission to "face the cause of this situation squarely and present a responsible solution without delay."

Their specific demands were for the Songpa-gu Election Commission to present a responsible plan, for the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to meet with the affected organizations and develop concrete solutions, for the normalization of their workspaces, and for administrative cooperation from the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee.