Isolated employee survives on convenience store food during two-week protest at vote-counting site

An employee has been isolated for two weeks inside Seoul's Olympic Park handball arena, the venue for a protest blocking vote counting following a ballot shortage in the June 3 local elections. The facility management team member remained on-site to oversee the safety of the arena's equipment and infrastructure.

A representative from the facility management team confirmed to Hankyoreh that the employee's presence was necessary for safety management. "Equipment is running inside, and we needed an employee to be present for safety management," the representative stated. The employee has been subsisting on food supplies from the arena's convenience store during the prolonged isolation.

The protest at the handball arena, where vote counting for the Songpa District, Seoul, was delayed due to a ballot shortage, has entered its 15th day. Demonstrators have been blocking the entrance since June 5.

This situation highlights the disruption caused by the ballot shortage and the subsequent protest, leaving a lone employee in a difficult situation while the demonstration continues to prevent the essential electoral process from concluding.

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We needed an employee to be present for safety management.