A crowd of protesters gathered in front of the National Election Commission building in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi, on the 4th to protest the ballot paper shortage that occurred during the 9th nationwide local elections held simultaneously (the June 3 local elections) blocked commission employees from leaving work. They argued the employees could not go home until measures were presented regarding the unprecedented ballot paper shortage.
Starting around 5:30 p.m. that day, when some employees tried to leave the commission building, protesters guarding the front blocked them. Some protesters yanked employees roughly and shouted, "Get back inside."
They also blocked police cars coming out of the commission building, saying employees could be taken out in the police vehicles. Only after confirming that only police officers were in the cars did they open the barricades set up on the road.
The protesters, saying they would stop commission employees from going home, have moved not only to the main gate but also to the rear gate. Some employees, blocked on their way home, waited near the main gate and then turned back into the building.
The blockade of the commission building has continued throughout the afternoon. Earlier, around 4 p.m., when a sedan came out of the building, protesters blocked it. When one protester raised their voice, saying, "The country is falling apart—where are you going home to," others around repeatedly shouted, "Where are you going home." The sedan reversed and went back into the building.
When dismissal began around 4 p.m. at the Government Gwacheon Complex daycare center, only parents' cars and shuttle buses were allowed to come and go under police escort.
Protesters are staging an overnight sit-in in front of the commission building. Police estimated the crowd grew to as many as 1,200 people. The unrest follows ballot paper shortages that disrupted voting for voters at 12 polling stations around Jamsil in Songpa District, as well as in Gangnam District, Gwangjin District, Yeonsu District in Incheon, and Hwaseong in Gyeonggi.
A standoff also continues in front of Jamsil 7-dong No. 2 polling station, where voting hours were extended from 6 p.m. the previous day to 10 p.m. due to the ballot shortage. Residents and protesters have guarded the senior center at Woosung Apartment in Songpa District, where the Jamsil 7-dong No. 2 polling station is set up, for more than 20 hours.
With two ballot boxes inside the Jamsil 7-dong No. 2 polling station yet to be transferred to the counting center, the Seoul City Election Commission has not been able to officially confirm the election of People Power Party Seoul mayoral candidate Oh Se-hoon. The commission estimates the boxes contain about 2,000 votes.
Although the gap between candidate Oh and Democratic Party of Korea candidate Chong Won-o exceeds 53,000 votes, meaning the result would not change depending on whether those boxes are counted, the Seoul City Election Commission says the counting results can only be finalized after opening all ballot boxes. However, protesters guarding the front of the Jamsil 7-dong No. 2 polling station are shouting "rigged election" and insisting the boxes must be secured as evidence.