[Report] "Took time off, stayed up all night, and flew in" — 2030s gather in Jamsil to demand, "Give the people back their votes"

[Financial News] The rally by voters gathered in front of Olympic Park in Songpa District, Seoul, after the ballot shortage in the June 3 local elections has continued for five days. Participants called for a full investigation into the election process and demanded a rerun, chanting slogans such as "A rerun election for electoral fraud" and "Hand-count ballots on election day."
On the 9th, the rally site around the SK Olympic Handball Gymnasium was filled mostly with young adults in their 20s and 30s. Some were office workers who took time off, others were citizens who came after working overnight and cutting back on sleep, and some said they returned home from overseas after hearing the news. Participants described themselves not as "protesters" but as "voters," saying in unison that "this is not about political leanings, but about the violation of voting rights."
The site, which had been somewhat quiet around 9 a.m. that day, began to fill up from around 10:30 p.m. Compared with the 30,000-strong crowd seen over the weekend, attendance had roughly halved, but the rally continued. According to Seoul's real-time city data, the number of people at the site stood at about 9,500 at 11 a.m. on the 9th.
Cho, 29, who said he has been coming to the site at dawn every day while preparing for law school, said, "Elections are the core and the flower of democracy and republicanism, yet citizens were not even given ballots." He added, "It is also hard to understand how exit polls and vote counting were carried out while voting was still under way." He said, "I am busy preparing for graduate school, but as a citizen I believe we must defend liberal democracy, so I came out at 5 a.m." He stressed that "it makes no sense to label citizens' legitimate demands for rights as political."
The incident was also drawing attention overseas. A 29-year-old Taiwanese national, identified as A, said, "People in Taiwan also wanted to know what was happening in Korea, so I came here in person. I believe this incident in Korea could undermine democracy." He added, "I think the Korean people are carrying out a legitimate struggle to defend their rights."
Lee, 31, who said he returned from Egypt after hearing about the situation, said, "I felt the election process did not seem clean, and I had the sense that the people's voting rights were being eroded." He added, "I thought it was important to speak up and stay here." He said, "If you are a citizen of the Republic of Korea, I think it is important to come here and stand guard regardless of political color," but added that "voluntary participation, not coercion, is the most important thing."



The atmosphere at the site was orderly. Citizens handed out supplies and voluntarily recruited helpers to sort trash. Medical supplies and feminine hygiene products were also provided. Recycling bins were set up for vinyl, general waste, plastic, and other categories. Paper placards reading "Please keep the peace until the end" and "Do not get hurt" were also seen throughout the site.
A coffee truck bearing a banner that read, "We are not protesters! We are voters!" also appeared. The coffee truck and supplies were reportedly sent voluntarily from across the country for the citizens at the site. Large Flag of South Korea and Stars and Stripes, along with vehicles displaying the slogan "A rerun election for electoral fraud," were also visible, but participants mostly chanted slogans peacefully.
A man in his 30s, identified as B, who was volunteering to distribute food, stood guard while waving a large Flag of South Korea. He said, "If there are citizens whose voting rights have been taken away, I thought I should come out on their behalf." He added, "It is the fourth day that I have not been able to sleep properly at home. I sleep for two hours here, go to work, and then come back to the site."
Park, 28, an office worker, also took time off to come to the site. Park said, "In a democracy, I could not understand how someone could go to vote and then have their opinion left out because there were no ballots." He added, "I would have been ashamed of myself if I had not come." He said, "Regardless of left or right ideology, this is a matter of the basic rights of citizens of the Republic of Korea being violated," and added that he hoped "the truth will be properly uncovered this time through a special counsel investigation and other measures."
Experts said the phenomenon should be seen not simply as political action by one camp, but as a form of civic participation demanding fairness in election procedures and the restoration of trust. Since acceptance of election results depends on trust in the process, they noted that allegations of election management problems such as ballot shortages must be followed by a thorough investigation and institutional reform.
yesji@fnnews.com Kim Ye-ji Reporter