At 11:30 a.m. on the 4th in front of the National Election Commission building in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi. The sky was overcast and raindrops fell from time to time, but the chants did not subside. Protesters raised their voices at the commission, saying, "Invalidate the fraudulent election at the source." Some protesters waved flags reading "Eradicate fraudulent elections" as they lodged complaints.
With unprecedented ballot shortages during voting in the 9th nationwide local elections (the June 3 local elections) fueling distrust in election procedures, hundreds of citizens are continuing an overnight protest in front of the National Election Commission building in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi.
◇ "Invalidate the fraudulent election at the source" "Arrest them"… hundreds hold protest
About 30 police officers guarded the entrance to the commission building. Officers continued broadcasting safety warnings to the protesters. The loudspeaker chants mixed with the announcements.
The protest has continued since the previous night. People first gathered at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul, then crowds flocked to the commission building after YouTuber Jeon Han-gil, a former Korean history instructor, designated it as the meeting point on a personal broadcast. Police estimated the crowd at one point exceeded 1,200.
Taking the makeshift stage in front of the commission building, Jeon said, "Wasn't the shortage of ballots at 14 polling stations in Seoul because they had already been used as fraudulent ballots?" and argued, "This is grounds to suspect a fraudulent election."
◇ Ballot shortage pours fuel on "fraudulent election" claims
Protesters in front of the commission building also delivered heated remarks. One citizen took the stage and said, "Seoul Mayor-elect Oh Se-hoon should declare (his election) invalid himself." At the end of each speech, the crowd responded with chants such as "Arrest Roh Tae-ak, chair of the National Election Commission" and "Investigate the fraudulent election."
The ballot shortage poured fuel on the "fraudulent election" narrative. In 12 polling stations around Jamsil in Songpa District, Seoul, as well as in Gangnam District, Gwangjin District, Yeonsu District in Incheon, and Hwaseong in Gyeonggi, a shortage of ballots left people unable to vote.
The No. 2 polling station in Jamsil 7-dong extended voting hours from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. the previous day, and with protesters crowding in, the ballot boxes still had not been removed as of 1:30 p.m. that day.
The Seoul election commission estimated that roughly 2,000 votes were in two ballot boxes at the No. 2 polling station in Jamsil 7-dong. The commission explained that only after counting those boxes could it confirm candidate Oh's election as Seoul mayor.
The commission issued an apology under the name of Secretary-General Heo Cheol-hoon. The commission said, "We caused great confusion and concern to the public due to the shortage of ballots at some polling stations," and added, "We fully recognize our responsibility for inconveniencing citizens who went to polling stations to exercise their precious sovereignty and for damaging public trust in fair election management."
It added, "As soon as the vote count is completed, we will accurately identify the causes and problems behind the ballot shortages and draw up measures to prevent a recurrence."