Protest over ballot shortage continues for 5th day

Protesters rally outside the SK Olympic Handball Gymnasium in southeastern Seoul, Monday, over ballot shortages during the June 3 local elections. Yonhap

Protesters continued to rally outside a vote-counting facility in Seoul for the fifth day Tuesday, demanding a re-run of last week's local elections over ballot shortages at some polling stations.

As of 10 a.m., some 200 protesters surrounded SK Olympic Handball Gymnasium in Songpa Ward, according to an unofficial police estimate. The number was sharply down from about 2,000 on Monday afternoon.

Tens of thousands of people had amassed at the stadium over the weekend to protest the ballot shortages and block election officials from removing ballot boxes.

The lack of ballot papers temporarily suspended voting at 26 polling stations nationwide on Wednesday, according to the National Election Commission (NEC).

While the protests over the weekend had largely focused on demanding a new election, protesters claiming electoral fraud could be spotted Tuesday, with signs that read, "Stop the steal."

Under the election law, a petition must be made to the election watchdog to invalidate a local election and run a new election. If the election watchdog rejects the petition, a lawsuit can be filed in court to challenge the decision.

The minor New Reform Party has expressed its intent to file a petition to partially invalidate the election results.

The protest has paralyzed operations of sports organizations based at the stadium, including the Korea Handball Association and the Korea Underwater Association.

A Korea Underwater Association official said the blockade has disrupted preparations for the 2026 CMAS World Championship Finswimming Indoor scheduled to open in Incheon, just west of Seoul, on June 22.