On the afternoon of the 3rd in front of the Olympic Park Handball Gymnasium in Songpa-gu, Seoul. About 70 protest participants gathered around exits 1-3 shouted slogans such as "re-election over election fraud" and "hand count on election day," holding the Taegeukgi and the Stars and Stripes. Most were middle-aged or older, but a few participants who appeared to be in their 20s and 30s also stood out.
The "ballot counting site blockade protest" at the Handball Gymnasium, which began with the shortage of ballot papers in the 9th nationwide local elections (June 3 local elections), has continued for a month. While the share of people in their 20s and 30s who led the initial protests has fallen and participants in their 60s and older have become the core, performance cancellations, facility operation losses, and the National Election Commission's venue rental burden are snowballing.
◇ While the 2030s were more than half at first… recently, the vast majority are in their 60s and older
Tents for the protesters were set up around 10 entrances to the Handball Gymnasium. Participants argue that the ballots and other materials inside the Handball Gymnasium, which was used as the Songpa-gu ballot counting site, must be protected until a "special prosecutor led by the opposition party" or an "international joint investigation" is carried out.
Water and food were provided for participants on site. Some supplied medical items such as pain-relief patches or lent Taegeukgi flags and seat cushions. There is no clear organizer, but voluntary efforts such as supplying items and taking shifts have continued for a month.
However, changes are appearing in the makeup of participants. Although there are no official figures tallying participant ages, real-time city data from the Seoul Metropolitan Government showed a shifting age composition in the floating population around Olympic Park.
As of 9 p.m. on the 7th of last month, the first weekend of the protest, people in their 20s and 30s made up 52.6% of the floating population in the Olympic Park area, more than half. In contrast, on recent weekends, people 60 and older accounted for nearly 40%, the largest share.
Participants also acknowledged some of these changes. Still, they said quite a few younger people continue to join in the evenings on weekdays or on weekends. A person surnamed Kim (52) met on site said, "The number of young people coming during the day has decreased, but there are still many who come whenever they can."
◇ Performance cancellations follow one after another… facility losses and the election commission's expense burden grow
As the protest drags on, performances and events slated for the Handball Gymnasium are being canceled one after another. According to data obtained by Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Seo Young-seok from the Korea Sports Promotion Foundation (KSPO), as of the end of last month, seven performances and events at the Handball Gymnasium were canceled and one changed venues. The resulting facility operation loss was estimated at 285 million won. This figure counts only facility operation losses and does not include damages to organizers and audiences.
There were also instances of arguments with protesters by people who had come for nearby performances. A person surnamed Lee (30), who visited a music event with a girlfriend on the 20th of last month, said, "One protester snapped, 'You want to listen to music in times like this?'" and added, "We even accepted that the venue had been moved, but I wondered why we had to hear that."
In addition to facility operation losses, the venue rental fee that the election commission must bear is also increasing. The Songpa-gu election commission previously paid 15 million won in venue rental to lend the Handball Gymnasium from June 1 to 4. However, as use of the facility continued due to the protests after the contract period, it now faces an additional burden of about 107.56 million won.
Related issues were also raised at the National Assembly's special committee for the election commission's state affairs investigation held the previous day. Yoon Sang-hyun, a People Power Party National Investigation Special Committee Chairperson, said, "They say rental expense for the Handball Gymnasium will reach 200 million won by July 10."
◇ Seoul enters the rainy season… variables for continuing outdoor protests
Participants are guarding the site day and night, but some observers say the rainy season weather could become a variable affecting the size of future protests. Because outdoor rallies are susceptible to rain, the crowds visiting the site could shrink if rainfall continues.
Following showers the previous day in Seoul, rain is also forecast for the 5th and 6th. Rain is forecast for the 7th to 8th mainly in the southern regions, but the Korea Meteorological Administration noted the rain clouds could expand to the capital area.