Despite election ballot boxes and voting papers being removed from the venue last month, the blockade protest—which began over a shortage of voting papers in the June 3 local elections—has continued.
On Nov. 14, about 50 participants waved Taegeukgi and American flags while chanting slogans such as “re-election for fraudulent elections” and “manual counting of votes on election day” in front of the stadium’s 1-3 exits, where red plastic chairs and tents remained.
Song, a 36-year-old participant who traveled from Gimpo to join the protest, said that demanding a withdrawal under the pretext of stadium operation was merely an excuse.
“I have come here whenever I had time, whether it was a weekday or weekend, since June,” Song said, taking a small Taegeukgi from a bag.
Authorities originally demanded that protesters clear the area by Dec. 5, but pushed the deadline to Dec. 12 when some participants refused to leave.
Kim, a 31-year-old who visited the performance with a friend, expressed surprise at the demonstration.
“When I arrived at the stadium, I was surprised to see people holding Taegeukgi flags and shouting slogans along with booming drum sounds,” Kim said. “I came to watch the concert with a joyful heart, but I was flustered because the noise of the protest kept ringing.”
Korea Sports Industry Development said that some unused accumulated materials with unverified owners were moved to the first floor of the Velodrome Stadium inside Olympic Park. These items will be stored for one month and returned if ownership is verified, with the costs of removal and storage charged to the owners.
The facility management agency plans to take legal action—including filing for an injunction to remove the remaining items and hand over the facilities, and claiming damages for business losses—if voluntary removal is not completed by Nov. 19. Authorities also plan to review criminal measures if business obstruction is confirmed, though specific forced enforcement plans have not yet been disclosed.
The foundation estimated that damages resulting from the rallies reached about 3.1 billion won as of last month, including 1.8 billion won in losses from 25 canceled rental events and 440 million won in damages from parking lot occupation.
