Seoul: Hundreds of protesters rallied for the fourth consecutive day outside a vote-counting facility in Seoul, demanding a new election due to ballot shortages during last week's local elections.
According to Yonhap News Agency, approximately 1,600 protesters were present around SK Olympic Handball Gymnasium in Songpa Ward as of 11:35 a.m. This number marked a significant decrease from the 8,000 who gathered around midnight Sunday, but showed an increase from the 950 recorded earlier in the morning.
The protests have persisted after voting was temporarily halted at 22 polling stations nationwide on Wednesday due to a shortage of ballot papers, as reported by the National Election Commission (NEC). Protesters blocked the stadium's ten entrances to prevent the removal of ballot boxes.
Members of a women's youth national handball team were seen pleading with protesters to allow them entry to retrieve equipment for a training session, which had been relocated to a nearby facility due to the blockade. The team is set to compete in the 25th IHF Women's U20 Handball World Championship in Jinzhong, China, later this month. Initially, the protesters resisted their entry, demanding proof that they were handball players. Eventually, the players were allowed in but were stopped again when leaving with their equipment to ensure no ballot papers were included with the items.
In a separate incident, a Taiwanese journalist was briefly surrounded by about 20 protesters who suspected the individual to be Chinese. Protesters have been demanding a rerun of the local elections, with some alleging electoral fraud.
Police have deployed around 350 personnel at the scene to prevent accidental clashes. As part of an investigation into the ballot shortages, authorities have secured chat room records of election officials and questioned election workers and individuals unable to cast their votes due to the shortages. Additionally, a civic activist was summoned for questioning over a complaint filed against senior NEC officials, including its chief who offered to resign last week for dereliction of duty.
Kim Soon-hwan, secretary general of the People's Welfare Countermeasure Committee, called for a comprehensive investigation into the incident as he appeared at the Seoul Gangdong Police Station in eastern Seoul. The police plan to examine whether the election watchdog properly adhered to ballot paper distribution standards.
On Sunday, President Lee Jae Myung expressed deep regret over the ballot shortages and ordered a thorough joint investigation by prosecutors and police into the incident.