Police investigating alleged break-in at ballot-counting center

Protesters chant slogans outside the Olympic Park Handball Gymnasium in southern Seoul, Thursday, in protest of ballot shortages during the June 3 local elections. Yonhap

Police are investigating an alleged break-in at a ballot-counting center amid weekslong protests calling for a rerun of the June 3 local elections, sports officials said Friday.

According to the Korea Sports Industry Development (KSID), which manages the Olympic Park Handball Gymnasium that was used as a vote-counting center for the elections, three unidentified individuals broke into the facility on June 7 after damaging a basement door lock.

The KSID reported the case to the police, along with surveillance camera footage showing the individuals entering the gym and filming the interior.

After filing the complaint, the KSID welded the basement door shut on June 11. Video of the welding spread online, sparking unverified conspiracy theories that authorities intended to trap protesters inside the gym and start a fire or crowd crush.

Protesters were demonstrating outside the gymnasium for the 15th consecutive day Friday after ballot shortages on election day disrupted voting at 26 polling stations.

They have blockaded the site to prevent the removal of ballot boxes that were brought there for counting.