S. Korean Protest over Seoul ballot shortage continues through weekend
· UPIJune 7 (Asia Today) -- Protesters continued to gather through the weekend outside a vote-counting site in southern Seoul, demanding a new election after a ballot shortage disrupted voting during South Korea's June 3 local elections.
The protest outside the Olympic Park Handball Gymnasium in Seoul's Songpa District entered its third day Sunday after demonstrators moved there from a polling station in Jamsil 7-dong on Friday. Protesters have been blocking the removal of ballot boxes and vote-counting equipment from the site.
At about 10 a.m. Sunday, the area around the gymnasium remained crowded with protesters, though the number was visibly lower than the unofficial police estimate of about 30,000 people Saturday night. People continued arriving at Olympic Park Station on Seoul subway lines 5 and 9 throughout the morning.
"I could not come on weekdays, but I have been staying here since yesterday," said Kim Ji-hyun, 22, a university student. "This protest is a voluntary citizens' movement gathered solely to condemn the violation of voting rights."
Participants held handmade signs and South Korean flags and repeatedly chanted, "New election." Some protesters guided pedestrians and vehicles near the site, while trucks delivered water, drinks and snacks donated by supporters through social media.
Many participants were in their 20s and 30s, though people ranged from children with parents to those in their 80s.
Seol Min-jae and Hong Ji-woo, a couple in their 30s who attended with their 5-month-old child in a stroller, said they came early because the afternoon crowds could become dangerous.
"We are worried that if people's voting rights are violated now, the same thing could happen again to future generations, including our child," they said.
An 80-year-old protester surnamed Cho said the participation of young people gave him hope that a new election could be possible.
"The National Election Commission really needs to change," Cho said.
The protest began after voting was temporarily suspended Tuesday at the second polling station in Jamsil 7-dong because of a shortage of ballots. The ballot box from that polling station was moved to the handball gymnasium Friday and counted, but protesters gathered at all entrances to the vote-counting site to prevent the removal of the ballot box, sorting machines and counting machines while pressing for a new election.
Election commission employees, reportedly 20 to 30 people, who had been unable to leave the site exited early Saturday, though the commission has not officially confirmed the account.
Police deployed about 350 officers to control entrances to the vote-counting site, but there were no major clashes with protesters.
Some disputes occurred among demonstrators over the method of protest. A participant using a loudspeaker asked others to use only South Korean flags and handwritten signs and to limit slogans to phrases such as "new election" and "violation of voting rights." Another participant carrying a U.S. flag objected, asking why it should not be allowed and saying alleged election fraud should be "rooted out" now.
The crowd began growing sharply in the afternoon. As of 3 p.m. Sunday, an unofficial police estimate put the number of protesters near the site at about 7,000. Seoul real-time city data showed the population inside Olympic Park at up to 24,000 around the same time.
The protest has continued as some participants leave and others arrive, regardless of whether it is a weekday or weekend. Because the gathering has no formal organizer or set deadline, it is likely to continue for the time being.
Shin Dong-wook, a Supreme Council member of the People Power Party, and others visited the National Police Agency on Sunday afternoon and urged police to prepare safety measures for citizens outside the vote-counting site and guarantee peaceful protest without forced dispersal.
-- Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI
© Asia Today. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution prohibited.
Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260607010002194