"We can't even pay players' allowances" Jamsil blockade protest paralyzes sports organizations' operations... 9 groups issue appeal

*This content was translated by AI.

As the Jamsil ballot counting center blockade protest related to the shortage of voting ballots for the the 3rd local elections continues for the sixth day, some sports organizations are facing serious operational disruptions. Among them, nine sports organizations plan to issue an appeal stating that "employees' livelihoods and safety are under threat" and calling for the resumption of normal operations.

Nine sports organizations, including the Korea Handball Federation, Korea Billiards Federation, Korea Mountaineering Federation, Korea Fencing Association, Korea Underwater Finswimming Federation, Korea Water Ski Wake Sports Federation, Korea Wushu Federation, Korea Sepak Takraw Federation, and Korea Dance Sport Federation, will issue an appeal for the resumption of normal operations at 9:30 a.m. on the 11th in front of Gate 2-1 of the Olympic Park Handball Arena (NHN Ticket Link Arena) in Seoul Songpa-gu.

These nine sports organizations are housed in the handball arena. However, with the handball arena, where voting boxes for the the 3rd local elections were stored, blocked by protesters for six consecutive days, they are struggling to operate normally. The appeal event is expected to be attended by approximately 100 employees and staff of the resident organizations, along with representatives from other sports organizations, totaling around 200 people.

The sports organizations explained that this event is not a rally but an appeal for the resumption of normal operations. They also stated they will not make any political slogans or express support or opposition.

The sports organizations stated, "We respect the citizens' protest actions and will not express any political stance. However, our office space is not a protest site but a workplace for employees. During attempts to enter the office and remove items, employees have been exposed to identity checks, bag searches, and verbal abuse, threatening their safety," they appealed.

According to the sports organizations, the entire entrance of the handball arena has been controlled since the 5th due to the rally blocking the ballot counting center for the 9th National Simultaneous Local Elections. As a result, 12 sports organizations with office spaces inside the arena cannot access their offices. Inside the arena, in addition to the organizations' office spaces, essential items for accounting and administration such as corporate cards, OTPs, seals, common authentication certificates, and items for operating competitions and qualification tests are stored, but currently, access is impossible.

Regarding this, the sports organizations appealed that "the entire operation of the organizations has been paralyzed, including preparation for the Sports Instructor Qualification Test, a national qualification exam, participation in international competitions, operation of domestic competitions, tax payments, payment of allowances to athletes, coaches, and referees, and general corporate administrative work."

The sports organizations announced that they conducted a total of three negotiations with the protesters regarding entry from the 9th to the 10th, but all failed. Various plans were discussed, including partial entry of some personnel from each sports organization, police accompaniment, and accompaniment by protest participants, but they could not narrow their differences over safety issues, filming inside the office, and the scope of item removal.

The sports organizations ultimately proposed that only the minimum items necessary for banking operations, such as OTPs, corporate cards, and seals, would be removed with protest participants present. However, they explained that even this was not accepted.

The sports organizations claimed, "We have respected the protesters' opinions as much as possible and made many concessions while negotiating under conditions that require entering our workplace. However, now even entering the workplace is blocked, and employees' livelihoods and safety are under threat."

They continued, "Even the minimal request to remove only the minimum items necessary for banking operations has been rejected, making it impossible for the organizations to resolve this on their own. We request the resumption of normal workplace operations, the establishment of practical solutions by the government and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, administrative cooperation from the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee, and the presentation of a responsible solution by the Songpa-gu Election Management Committee."

Surrounding sports organizations also expressed sympathy for the situation of the resident sports organizations that cannot enter the handball arena.

A sports industry official, who requested anonymity, told StarNews, "While the number of employees in each sports organization is not large, there is a significant amount of work to be done. From tax payments to the payment of allowances to national team athletes, and the Sports Instructor Qualification Test work that must be completed by the end of June, there is much to handle. Preparations for international competitions are also ongoing." The official added, "The sports organizations that cannot enter their offices due to the blockade protest are in a truly dire situation."

The official continued, "The government should resolve this quickly at least. We hope they will mediate so that the sports organizations and the protesters can meet and negotiate, and that the situation will be resolved."

Another sports official also told StarNews, "Noise from the protesters and parking and traffic problems continue. Especially during after-work hours, even more crowds gather."

The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee also released a statement today, saying, "We are closely monitoring the situation where the entry of member sport organizations housed in the Olympic Park Handball Arena is restricted due to recent rallies and protests in the area, causing difficulties in performing some operations."

The committee stated, "While we respect the freedom of assembly and protest as a fundamental right of citizens guaranteed by the Constitution and hold no political stance on related matters, we believe that conditions must be secured to allow the removal of minimum administrative items so that normal operations of sports organizations, support for national team training in preparation for the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, and the implementation of various sports administrative services, such as the practical oral qualification test for over 70 types of sports instructors, can proceed without disruption."

Furthermore, the committee stated, "The committee is closely cooperating with relevant institutional investors, including the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Korea Sports Promotion Foundation, and the police, to explore ways to ensure the continuity of operations for member sport organizations and plans to continuously monitor the situation. The committee will continue to actively work with relevant institutional investors in the future to ensure that respect for citizens' fundamental rights and the stable operation of sports administration are harmoniously achieved."

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*This content was translated by AI.