Woman Dubbed "Oldareukeu" Indicted Without Detention for Blocking Access to Olympic Park Ballot-Counting Station

Indicted on obstruction-of-business charge... five months after protest began

A woman dubbed "Oldareukeu" (a portmanteau of Olympic Park and Joan of Arc) has been indicted after blocking officials of the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee from entering the site of a protest at a ballot-counting station in Olympic Park.

A woman in her 30s accused of obstructing business by blocking sports organization employees from entering their office is appearing at the Seoul Eastern District Court in Songpa-gu for a pre-arrest hearing. She was stopped outside the Handball Gymnasium at Seoul Olympic Park. Yonhap News Agency

The Seoul Eastern District Public Prosecution Office said Wednesday that it had indicted the woman, identified only as A, in detention-free proceedings on a charge of obstructing business.

According to the office, A was indicted for allegedly holding onto the handle of an entrance door to the Handball Gymnasium for about two hours on June 16 at the site of a protest at a ballot-counting station in Olympic Park, Songpa-gu, Seoul, thereby preventing officials of a sports organization from entering.

Police had sought an arrest warrant for A in July, but the court rejected it, saying that concerns about the destruction of evidence or flight were not substantiated. Police continued their investigation while she remained free and referred her to the prosecution office on July 31.

Meanwhile, the protest blocking access to the ballot-counting station at Olympic Park is entering its final stage. The Korea Sports Promotion Foundation has demanded that protesters remove their tents and other structures and vacate the site by November 12. If the withdrawal proceeds as scheduled, the rally, which began on June 5, will end after about 160 days.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.