On the 3rd, the main voting day for the 9th nationwide local elections (the June 3 local elections), 112 calls reporting disturbances and interference with voting were filed at polling places across the country.
According to the Korean National Police Agency, from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. that day, a total of 88 election-related 112 calls were received nationwide. Interference with voting and disturbances were the most common, with 14 cases.
In Seoul, 33 calls to 112 came in within three hours of the start of voting. At about 6:28 a.m. that day at a polling place in Dongdaemun District, Seoul, a report said a 64-year-old man caused a disturbance, shouting after being stopped when he tried to leave without placing his ballot into the ballot box after finishing in the booth.
At a polling place in Guro District, Seoul, at about 7:40 a.m., a 60-year-old man went to a location that was not his assigned polling place and then caused a disturbance while being guided to the correct site. Police plan to investigate whether these incidents violated any relevant laws.
Starting at 6 a.m. that day, police declared a "Gapho emergency," which allows mobilization of 100% of available personnel nationwide, and moved to strengthen security at polling and counting sites. They deployed a total of 65,369 officers to 14,288 polling places nationwide and assigned about 30 officers each to 258 counting centers across the country. Police will also handle security along each route used to transport ballot boxes after voting ends.