[Report] "Worried about violations of voting rights..." and "Because this is the country I will live in" — teenagers head to Jamsil

[Financial News]"I have no political leaning at all. I still do not have the right to vote, but I felt that voting rights were being violated in the country where I will live, so I skipped school and came here."On the 11th, the rally outside the counting center at Olympic Park in Songpa-gu, Seoul, entered its seventh day after the shortage of ballots in the June 3 local elections. At the site, slogans such as "rerun the election over ballot fraud" and "manual counting on election day" rang out nonstop. Participants said the focus should be on the issue of voting rights violations rather than on any particular party or political force.
Around noon that day, the area in front of Gate 1-3 at the SK Olympic Handball Gymnasium had a relatively calm atmosphere. As lunchtime approached, the crowd kept growing, and volunteers handed out water, snacks and other supplies. Pregnant women, parents with young children, couples, office workers who had taken a half-day off, and dog owners who had wrapped the Flag of South Korea around their pets also stood out. One participant was even waving the Flag of South Korea while carrying a newborn in a baby carrier. According to Seoul's real-time urban data, about 12,000 people had gathered at the site as of 2 p.m.
In particular, the participation of teenagers without voting rights drew attention. High school student Yoon Hae-won, 17, said, "I am still a minor and do not have the right to vote, but I came because I deeply felt that voting rights are being violated in the country where I will become a member of society in the future." Lee, 14, who came to the site with her mother before going to cram school, said, "I thought I might lose my voting rights in the future," adding, "I hope fair elections and manual counting will be carried out."
Participants appeared to reject the view that the rally around the counting center should be interpreted as the voice of a particular camp. Jang Seong-hoon, 31, and Go Eun-ha, 31, who said they came to help during a vulnerable weekday afternoon period, stressed, "Regardless of left-right ideological differences, the suspicions surrounding the ballot shortage must be clarified," and "I hope people will not be swayed by claims linking this to political forces and instead focus together on the reality of voting rights violations."
Yi Chaebin, 24, a Songpa-gu resident volunteering at the site, said, "At times, I feel the atmosphere here has changed a lot compared with the beginning," but added, "This is not a left-right issue; we came out over voting rights, and I worry it may be seen only as a rally for one political side." Yi explained that she has been posting live updates about the rally on Social Networking Service (SNS) to prevent the atmosphere and purpose of the event from being misunderstood.




As it became known that the ballot storage box, identified as key evidence during the court's on-site inspection of Jamsil 7-dong Polling Place No. 2 the previous day, had not been found, calls for further fact-finding continued. Hong, 25, who said he had taken a half-day off to attend, said, "People around me also see this as a situation that should anger both the ruling and opposition parties," adding, "The government should accurately determine what went wrong with the NEC's poor management and the ballot shortage, and present alternatives such as appointing a special counsel to investigate the NEC."
As the rally around the counting center dragged on, some disorder also broke out at the scene. While an ambulance was dispatched to transport a participant who had collapsed with heatstroke symptoms, a man in his 50s approached police and, pointing to a specific participant, claimed that "a left-wing provocateur followed us" and demanded that the person be separated. When police explained that they had a duty of political neutrality and could not restrain or disperse someone based only on a particular remark, the man protested, saying, "I suspect the police have a political bias." The situation ended without major clashes after nearby participants stepped in to calm him down.
Disruptions to the work of sports organizations housed inside the SK Olympic Handball Gymnasium are also growing. On the day, the sports organizations held a press conference and appealed, "Please guarantee access and our ability to work." They said equipment for preparing for international competitions, along with various administrative and accounting materials, is kept inside the venue, making it difficult to manage athletes and operate events. However, they added that "there are many citizens at the site who are participating purely in the rally" and said they are not considering filing complaints against participants.
Opinions among participants were also divided on this point. Some citizens said, "I do not think people who are just working should be harmed no matter what," while some participants took the position that additional access should be handled cautiously, citing the need to preserve evidence.

yesji@fnnews.com Kim Ye-ji Reporter