Rain turns Olympic Park protest into an ordeal as deadlock drags on

Monsoon rain lashed the ongoing rally at Olympic Park on Wednesday. The protest, which began in early June, has now stretched beyond 40 days, and the combination of scorching heat and seasonal downpours is taking a toll on attendance.

As the rally drags on, reports of illegal activity have multiplied, yet no clear resolution is in sight. Even the special parliamentary investigation committee probing the ballot shortage during the June 3 local elections has failed to find a way forward, deadlocked over when to conduct a public recount of the ballots.

Around 7 a.m. Wednesday, about 20 people had gathered in front of the handball arena at Olympic Park in Songpa-gu, Seoul, singing the national anthem. Overnight rain had drastically cut attendance from the roughly 100 people who typically show up at that hour on weekdays.

Fewer than 10 were actively participating. Some held umbrellas in one hand while waving the Taegukgi with the other; others wore rain ponchos and used both hands to wave large national flags. A few stood in the rain without any cover, still shouting slogans.

The rest sought shelter under tents or the overhangs of the arena's entrances. Large puddles had formed across the parking lot in front of the venue. Some participants brought out dustpans to push the standing water toward drainage channels.

Hong, 27, said the night had been nearly catastrophic. "It was almost a disaster. Pickets and structures were all broken and bent," he said. "It wasn't just rain — the wind was ferocious, so we folded everything up and piled it to one side."

He added that the group had debated whether to pack up and leave but ultimately held on. "The chanting, which usually continues through the night, seems to have stopped early in the morning. Normally there's a small group keeping watch on the steps in front of entrances 1 and 2, but right now there's nobody on the steps," he said.

A man in his 60s, identified only as A, who was keeping watch at entrances 2 and 3, said the rain had been relentless. "It poured down. At times it was like a typhoon," he said. "The mats and tents got soaked in the recent rain, so we had just finished fixing everything up — and now this rain has drenched it all again."

"The air is so humid that even wet things won't dry," A said. "Once the sun comes out, I think we'll have to take all the tents apart and redo them."

Heo, 31, a volunteer working inside the recycling tent, said the wind overnight had been strong enough to make the tent near entrance 2-2 shake. "Some tents collapsed or blew away. Pickets and the like all toppled over, so we gathered them up and set them aside," he said.

The Olympic Park rally has persisted through monsoon rain and heat waves alike. Wednesday marked its 41st consecutive day, yet no agreement or breakthrough has emerged. The parliamentary investigation committee probing the ballot shortage from the June 3 local elections has itself been unable to reach a consensus.

On Tuesday, the committee clashed over when to hold a public recount of the ballots stored inside the handball arena. The ruling party argued the recount must be carried out before the committee's mandate expires on Aug. 1.

The opposition party pushed back, insisting a special prosecutor must first be appointed to investigate the ballot shortage and that the recount should follow only after the special prosecutor's office is up and running. The two sides ultimately failed to agree on a schedule for the recount.

Illegal incidents have continued to mount as the rally drags on. Cases of insulting police officers and obstructing official duties have occurred repeatedly, with police now investigating roughly 100 cases in connection with the protest.

As of Monday, police were investigating 99 cases of illegal activity related to the rally, involving a total of 289 suspects. The cases under investigation include obstruction of operations at the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee, an illegal search and coercion involving youth handball national team players, obstruction of official duties through insulting remarks directed at police officers, assault on journalists, and altercations among rally participants.

Some suspects whose cases have been wrapped up by police are now being referred to prosecutors. A man in his 40s surnamed Kim became the first rally participant to be indicted, on July 7, after spitting on a police officer. Kim had asked the officer for his name on June 23 before spitting on him.

The rally is expected to continue for the foreseeable future, and police say they will manage it at the current level. Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Commissioner Park Jeong-bo said at a regular press briefing on Monday that police would "actively guarantee peaceful and orderly expression of opinion" and would "manage strictly" any illegal acts committed on an individual basis.