Olympic committee mulling legal action against protesters, election body in ballot-shortage controversy

The national Olympic committee said Friday it will pursue legal action against protesters and the top election body over damage incurred during the ongoing ballot-shortage controversy.

The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) said it will once again attempt to send nine of its member associations back to their offices inside Olympic Park Handball Gymnasium in southern Seoul next week.

The stadium served as a ballot counting site for the June 3 local elections.

When ballot shortages temporarily suspended voting at several polling stations, protesters showed up on June 5 to block access to the gym, claiming election fraud and demanding a rerun of the elections.

Nine national sports federations, including those for handball and fencing, are housed inside the stadium.

They have not been able to get past the protesters despite a few attempts.

Athletes for those sports have been forced to compete internationally using borrowed equipment and uniforms, while the federations' staffers have been forced to set up temporary offices to handle administrative work, such as organizing international ...