Woman accused of blocking vote counting center staff sent to prosecutors

A 30-year-old woman, who allegedly blocked employees of sports organizations from entering an office at a vote counting center during a protest, has been transferred to prosecutors without detention. She faces charges of business obstruction.

The incident occurred on June 16th, when the woman, draped in an American flag, reportedly stood at the entrance of the handball stadium at Olympic Park, which was being used as a vote counting site. She is accused of preventing staff members of sports associations affiliated with the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee from entering their offices.

During the protest, which involved calls to "block the vote counting center," the woman became a notable figure among participants of extreme online communities and protests. She was reportedly nicknamed 'Olympic Joan of Arc' (Oly-darc) by some.

Authorities had initially sought an arrest warrant for the woman, but the Seoul Eastern District Court rejected the request. The judge cited insufficient grounds for detention, stating there was no concern of evidence tampering or flight risk. Following the warrant's rejection, the woman was released from custody.

After her release, the woman appeared on her lawyer's YouTube channel. During the interview, she commented on her experience, drawing a parallel to the conditions of a detention center and mentioning the First Lady: "I find this uncomfortable, so how uncomfortable must First Lady Kim Keon-hee have been (in a detention center)? I thought I should write her a letter later."

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I find this uncomfortable, so how uncomfortable must First Lady Kim Keon-hee have been (in a detention center)? I thought I should write her a letter later.