"Stop the illegal vote count" Protesters gather at Olympic Park vote-counting center, demand a rerun election

[Financial News] Vote counting for the ballot box from Jamsil 7-dong Polling Place No. 2 in Songpa-gu, Seoul, which had been delayed by a shortage of ballots in the June 3 local elections, began on the 5th. Protesters who had gathered outside the polling place to block the removal of the ballot box moved to the counting center and continued their protest.
The Seoul Metropolitan Election Commission said it began counting ballots from Jamsil 7-dong Polling Place No. 2 at around 10 a.m. at the counting center set up at the SK Olympic Handball Gymnasium in Songpa-gu, Seoul. Earlier, police and the NEC removed two ballot boxes from Jamsil 7-dong Polling Place No. 2, located at the Woosung Apartment Senior Center, at around 8:54 a.m. and transported them to the counting center.
The ballot boxes were reported to contain ballots for about 2,000 voters. Jamsil 7-dong Polling Place No. 2 was one of the sites where voting hours were extended from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. on election day, June 3, after a ballot shortage left voters waiting with numbered tickets. Counting was then delayed as conservative YouTubers and citizens blocked the front of the polling place in protest against the removal of the ballot boxes.
Police began dispersing the protesters outside the polling place at around 7:50 a.m., deploying more than 1,000 officers from 18 riot police units. Once the area around the rear entrance had been cleared at around 8:52 a.m., NEC officials entered the polling place and removed the ballot boxes.Even after the ballot boxes were moved to the counting center, the standoff continued. Protesters and YouTubers who had been outside Jamsil 7-dong Polling Place No. 2 moved to the counting center in front of the SK Olympic Handball Gymnasium and shouted, "Rerun election" and "Stop the illegal vote count." Police deployed riot police to block entry into the counting center.
Jang Dong-hyeok, leader of the People Power Party, who visited the scene, also clashed with protesters in front of the counting center while moving to file a complaint with the Seoul Metropolitan Election Commission at around 10:54 a.m. As more police forces arrived, some protesters moved to other entrances in addition to the main gate at around 11:05 a.m. and blocked access around the stadium entrances that serve as the counting center.
Some of the more aggressive protesters also made remarks suggesting that NEC officials should be identified and detained while watching a YouTube channel broadcasting live. At the scene, protesters continued to confront police as they moved around the entrances to the counting center.
Political figures also came to the scene. Hwang Kyo-ahn, leader of Freedom & Innovation, People Power Party Supreme Council member Kim Min-soo, and lawmakers Kim Eun-hye and Joo Jin-woo reportedly gathered near the counting center, raising allegations of election fraud and calling for the count to be stopped.
Once counting is completed, the formal confirmation process for winners in the related races, including the Seoul Metropolitan City mayor, superintendent of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, proportional representatives for the Seoul Metropolitan Council, and the mayor of Songpa District, is expected to proceed. The NEC says legal procedures for confirming winners and determining the validity of the election can only move forward after the ballot box in question has been fully counted.

425_sama@fnnews.com Choi Seung-han Reporter