Scuffles break out among protesters ahead of parliamentary on-site probe into ballot shortages

Protesters chant slogans outside SK Olympic Handball Gymnasium in Seoul's southern ward of Songpa, Thursday. Yonhap

Scuffles broke out among protesters outside the Olympic Park Handball Gymnasium in southern Seoul on Thursday, hours before an on-site inspection by a parliamentary special committee investigating ballot shortages that marred the June 3 local elections.

Some protesters have been blocking access to the stadium, which served as a ballot counting site on election day, in opposition to the inspection. They said they would allow entry only to special counsel investigators or those with a warrant.

Scuffles were witnessed outside the stadium, with some protesters shoving one another and tearing American flags carried by other participants.

Police separated the protesters to prevent further clashes and deployed some 2,000 personnel to the site.

A team of emergency responders was dispatched to the scene after a protester reportedly collapsed. The cause of the collapse was not immediately known.

Members of the parliamentary committee were expected to conduct an on-site inspection of the stadium in the afternoon, after visiting the Songpa District Election Commission, where they were briefed by election officials on how ballot papers were managed on election day.

Protests claiming election fraud and demanding a rerun of the elections began June 5, two days after ballot shortages temporarily suspended voting at polling stations across the nation.