South Korean protesters demand election rerun after ballot shortages

Police have identified a woman who staged a solo blockade of a vote counting center after the June 3 local elections and issued a summons for her to appear for questioning, sources said Wednesday. On June 16, the woman, said to be in her 30s, stood outside a door to the SK Olympic Handball Gymnasium in southern Seoul, which had been used as a ballot counting center, to prevent anyone from going inside amid an ongoing standoff between protesters demanding a rerun of the elections and sports organization officials trying to enter the gym to access their offices. The protests, which are now on their 20th consecutive day, began after shortages of ballot papers were reported at multiple polling stations on election day, causing some voters to turn back without casting their ballots. To end the standoff, lawmakers of the main opposition People Power Party had negotiated a deal with the protesters to let the sports officials inside, but the agreement fell through after the woman blocked the door and demanded the preservation of ballots and ballot boxes that remain in the gym. Police reportedly

Protests demanding a rerun of the June 3 local elections marred by ballot paper shortages entered the 17th day Sunday at a ballot counting site in southern Seoul. Protesters continued to chant slogans and hold pickets claiming election fraud outside SK Olympic Handball Gymnasium in Seoul's southern district of Songpa, which was used as a ballot counting site for the elections. As many as 34,000 people were gathered at the venue as of 3:30 p.m., with those in their 20s and 30s accounting for more than half of the total, according to an estimate by the Seoul city government. The protests began June 5, two days after ballot shortages temporarily suspended voting at 26 polling stations. While the National Election Commission (NEC) has apologized for the ballot shortages, it says they do not warrant a rerun under the election law. A joint team of police investigators and prosecutors has been investigating the NEC over the shortages. The government has urged people taking part in the protests to refrain from illegal acts, saying that while peaceful rallies should be protected, illegal acts of v

Police are investigating an alleged break-in at a ballot-counting center amid weekslong protests calling for a rerun of the June 3 local elections, sports officials said Friday. According to the Korea Sports Industry Development (KSID), which manages the Olympic Park Handball Gymnasium that was used as a vote-counting center for the elections, three unidentified individuals broke into the facility on June 7 after damaging a basement door lock. The KSID reported the case to the police, along with surveillance camera footage showing the individuals entering the gym and filming the interior. After filing the complaint, the KSID welded the basement door shut on June 11. Video of the welding spread online, sparking unverified conspiracy theories that authorities intended to trap protesters inside the gym and start a fire or crowd crush. Protesters were demonstrating outside the gymnasium for the 15th consecutive day Friday after ballot shortages on election day disrupted voting at 26 polling stations. They have blockaded the site to prevent the removal of ballot boxes that were brought there f

Protests demanding a rerun of the June 3 local elections marred by ballot paper shortages continued for the 14th day Thursday at a ballot counting site amid sweltering heat. Under the scorching sun, protesters chanted slogans claiming election fraud outside SK Olympic Handball Gymnasium in Seoul's southern ward of Songpa, which was used as a ballot counting center for the elections. The protests began June 5, two days after ballot shortages temporarily suspended voting at 26 polling stations. Some protesters could be seen cooling themselves off with fans while guarding the entrance of the gymnasium in a move to prevent election officials from removing ballot boxes inside. While the National Election Commission (NEC) has apologized for the ballot shortages, it says they do not warrant a rerun under the election law. A joint team of police investigators and prosecutors has been investigating the NEC over the shortages. Meanwhile, police have booked a man in his 30s who was taken into custody after brandishing and swinging a sharp weapon near the gymnasium on Wednesday. The man, who injured h

Election protesters agreed Tuesday to allow sports officials inside a gymnasium used as a ballot-counting center for the June 3 local elections, potentially ending a 12-day standoff between the sides, the leader of the main opposition party said. Rep. Jang Dong-hyeok of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) announced the deal after meeting with the protesters in front of the Olympic Park Handball Gymnasium in southern Seoul, where they have been demanding a rerun of the elections tainted by unprecedented ballot shortages at 26 voting stations across the nation. Officials from sports organizations under the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee have been unable to access their offices inside the gymnasium since June 5, when the protesters began the blockade to prevent the removal of ballot boxes that were brought there for vote counting. The vote count for the local elections has already been completed. Under the agreement with the organizations and the police, two members per organization will be able to enter the gym at a time to retrieve items they need for their work, Jang said. The

Election protesters were locked in a tense standoff with sports officials Tuesday as their blockade of a gymnasium used for the June 3 local elections continued for the 12th straight day. Members of organizations under the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee attempted to enter the Olympic Park Handball Gymnasium in Seoul's southern Songpa Ward starting at 9 a.m. but were blocked by protesters demanding a rerun of the elections tainted by unprecedented ballot shortages at 26 voting stations across the nation. The sports organizations have been unable to access their offices housed inside the gymnasium since June 5, when the protesters began the blockade to prevent the removal of ballot boxes that were brought there for vote counting. The vote count for the local elections has already been completed. During the standoff, some protesters initially agreed to forming a monitoring team composed of an equal number of police officers and sports organization staff to oversee activities inside the gym. The agreement later fell through due to fierce backlash from other protesters. Police officers made