Woman dubbed 'Ol-Darc' appears for detention hearing wearing Korean and US flag pins, stays silent

A woman in her 30s who blocked Korean Sport & Olympic Committee officials from entering a venue during a rally at Olympic Park now faces possible detention. The woman, identified only by her surname initial A, is accused of obstruction of business after she repeatedly prevented sports organization staff from entering the arena. Some conservative online communities have given her the nickname "Ol-Darc" — a portmanteau of "Olympic Park" and "Joan of Arc."

Judge Seo Beom-jun of Seoul Eastern District Court, who handles warrant reviews, opened a pre-arrest detention hearing for A on Tuesday at around 2:30 p.m.

A arrived at the courthouse at around 2:24 p.m. As she had done during her earlier police appearance, she wore South Korean and American flag badges pinned to her left chest, and appeared in a black top and a gray mask.

A did not respond to reporters' questions — including whether she believed her actions were justified, whether she admitted to the obstruction charges, and what she thought about sports organizations' right to work — and walked into the courthouse without comment. Some members of the public gathered outside the court ahead of her arrival and shouted words of support, including "Go, Ol-Darc!"

A is accused of standing in front of the entrance to the Olympic Park handball arena in Songpa-gu on June 16 and blocking sports organization officials from entering for about two hours.

Four other suspects linked to illegal acts at the rally also faced detention hearings Tuesday. Three men in their 20s are accused of obstructing police officers at the vote-counting protest site on June 6 — shouting profanities at officers and blocking their path.

A man in his 30s who allegedly conducted an illegal search of members of the women's junior national handball team as they entered the arena on June 8 also faces possible detention. He is accused of special coercion and reportedly livestreamed the search while making remarks to the effect that the players' socks should be removed.

Prosecutors noted in the warrant that the manner of the offense was egregious, citing the suspect's decision to livestream the players' faces during the incident.