On June 7 at Olympic Park in Songpa District, Seoul, dozens of bottles of water, coffee, and simple snacks were laid out in front of the gathered crowd. They were people who came to the scene to protest the "shortage of ballot papers" that occurred during last week's local elections. As the rally stretched on for hours, citizens shared drinks and snacks and held their spots, and nearby cafes and convenience stores saw a flurry of orders.
As large crowds converged on the Olympic Park area, nearby self-employed business owners enjoyed a boost in sales. A large-scale concert over the weekend added to the buzz, but owners expressed mixed feelings, noting that the uptick was a special circumstance born of confusion at the election site.
According to Seoul City's real-time urban data and police on the 9th, between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. over the two weekend days, the population drawn to Olympic Park was counted at between 28,000 and 40,000.
By age group, people in their 20s made up the largest share at 33.6% the previous day. Most were criticizing the National Election Commission and demanding a rerun of the election, after the shortage of ballot papers erupted.
As more people visited or waited at the scene, customers also flocked to businesses near Olympic Park. Orders to deliver coffee, drinks, and snacks to people participating in the rally continued, and cafes and convenience stores said sales rose above usual levels. Because the local commercial district relies on demand from concerts and sports events, weekend sales swings are typically wide, but the ballot paper shortage drew an unexpected number of people this time.
In particular, over the weekend, HYBE's 2026 Weverse Con Festival was also held, giving self-employed owners a "double windfall." A total of 30 artist teams participated, including ENHYPEN, LE SSERAFIM, Zico, Highlight, and Kim Jae-joong, and 34,000 people enjoyed the festival, including on-site audiences and online viewers. On top of concert demand, there was an overlap with foot traffic driven by the ballot paper shortage.
A cafe owner said, "Weekends with concerts usually bring good sales, but this time, with the added election waiters, sales rose about 20% to 30% compared with an average weekend," adding, "In the afternoon hours, drink orders surged so much we had to prepare extra inventory."
Despite higher sales, self-employed owners around Olympic Park were not entirely upbeat. Since the boost stemmed from election management chaos, some said it was not entirely welcome. Among owners, there was reportedly more talk about election management problems than about increased foot traffic and sales.
A self-employed person who runs a restaurant nearby noted, "Customers kept coming in even after lunchtime, so business was better than an average weekend," but added, "That said, many people came to raise issues over the ballot paper shortage in an election that sets the direction of local governance, so the mood was not entirely bright."
As the workweek began, the number of people coming to the scene fell sharply from the weekend, but some remain, holding their ground and demanding a "rerun of the election."
Meanwhile, President Lee Jae-myung signaled a fact-finding probe at a news conference on the first anniversary of his inauguration the previous day, saying, "I think we need to devise fundamental countermeasures." Police and prosecutors plan to investigate the ballot paper shortage in line with the president's order to form a joint investigation headquarters.