On the morning of the 8th, in front of the handball arena at Olympic Park in Songpa-gu, Seoul. Protesters repeatedly shouted "rerun election" and "rigged election." A protest that began over a shortage of ballots that surfaced during the 9th nationwide local elections held simultaneously (the June 3 local elections) continued for a fourth day.
As of 12 p.m. that day, police estimated about 1,800 people at the rally. Crowds thinned from the previous night as weekday morning commute and school hours passed. But those who remained kept up their chants while guarding the area around the handball arena. One participant said, "As the workweek began, many friends in their 20s and 30s left, but once it's quitting time, they'll gather again."
The protest intensified after the ballot box from Jamsil 7-dong's No. 2 polling station was moved to the handball arena at Olympic Park, where the Songpa-gu counting center was set up. Even after the count ended, participants said "there were problems with the election procedure" and have refused to leave the site.
◇ "No leading force"... notices of "voluntary participation" posted throughout
Across Olympic Park, notices read "a voluntary assembly of citizens." Handwritten placards on site read, "We are ordinary citizens," "We came to call for a rerun election," and "Ban on political slogans other than a rerun election."
Placards also read, "Do not use printouts or premade placards," "Use only paper written by hand," and "We have received no instructions whatsoever." They drew a line between themselves and political parties or groups, stressing that participation was voluntary and individual. There were also notices stating, "We do not accept financial support," "No swearing, arguments, or wrongdoing," and "Please respect police shift-change times."
Jeong Eunae, 51, wearing a volunteer badge at the site, said, "There is no separate leader," and added, "We are all gathered here as individual citizens to defend our rights." Other participants said this was "not a political rally but a suffrage issue," calling for a full accounting of the ballot shortage.
Some on site, however, said the atmosphere of the rally had changed from the weekend. A participant who had stayed since the weekend said, "Even just yesterday, the mood was to shout only 'rerun election' and avoid saying 'rigged election,'" adding, "But with many participants in their 20s and 30s leaving on a weekday morning, chants of 'rigged election' grew louder."
◇ Clashes over access to the handball arena... youth national team also briefly blocked
The ballot counting had wrapped up, but tensions persisted around the handball arena. Protesters reacted sensitively to issues over entry to the arena where the counting center had been installed.
At around 10 a.m. that day, when the women's youth national handball team tried to retrieve equipment stored inside the arena, some participants blocked them. The players pleaded, "Please," asking to be allowed in, and were eventually able to enter the arena. But as they exited, their belongings were checked.
The youth national team is set to compete at the 25th IHF Women's Junior World Championship (U20), which opens on the 24th in Jinzhong, Shanxi, China. A team official said, "We haven't been able to train since last Thursday," adding, "We were only trying to pick up balls, shoes, and other items inside the arena."
There was also an argument over blocking the arena windows with yellow packing tape. One participant stopped it, saying, "If this is reported as property damage, it could give grounds to disperse the assembly." Another participant, however, raised their voice, suspecting the person blocking it was affiliated with a progressive-leaning group.
◇ "This won't end with the Chairperson's resignation"... expanding calls to hold the election commission accountable
Among participants, many said that the resignation of National Election Commission Chairperson Roh Tae-ak alone would not resolve the situation. Separate from investigations by prosecutors and police, some argued for an external audit of the election commission and improvements to the system.
Noh Su-young, 46, who said she had stayed on site since the protest in front of Jamsil 7-dong's No. 2 polling station, said, "If President Lee Jae-myung and the heads of the four branches do not meet to decide on a rerun election, it's just an armchair discussion," adding, "Without a rerun election, people will not leave the scene."
Seo Gang-seok, the Songpa District chief who won reelection in the June 3 local elections, also visited the site and said a responsible explanation was needed. Seo said, "The election Commissioner's Chairperson must personally come and present an answer on whether this was a rigged election or a sloppy one," adding, "Even the central government should send a message on how it will reform the election commission so that citizens can accept it."