Protests at Olympic Park venue near 3-month mark, topping W1b in refunds

Demonstrations at Olympic Park, now approaching their third month, began as a backlash against a ballot shortage during the June 3 local elections. As the protests drag on, performances scheduled at the handball stadium have been canceled one after another — with refunds on venue fees alone topping 1.07 billion won ($724,000).

According to the office of Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Kim Yong-man, a total of 15 events at the Olympic Park handball stadium have been canceled or relocated since the protests began at the venue in June.

Among the canceled events are the 2026 Weverse Con Festival, an encore concert of Park Seo-jin's nationwide tour, a concert by Yunho, a fan concert by Seventeen's Dino, and a concert by singer Jay Park.

Korea Sports Industry Development, which manages Olympic Park facilities and handles venue rentals, said 15 events scheduled between June 6 and Sept. 27 at the handball stadium were canceled following deliberation by its venue review committee.

Of those, 13 events have so far resulted in approximately 1.07 billion won in venue fee refunds.