How many police officers will be deployed for the ballot inspection at Olympic Park Handball Gymnasium?

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency expects about 3,330 personnel at the site. The deployment includes 48 riot police units, 150 officers for dialogue and mediation, and 300 detectives and investigators; a riot police unit typically has about 60 members.

Why is special counsel Lee Tae-han’s team inspecting ballots from the June 3 local elections?

The inspection is part of the team’s probe into an unprecedented shortage of ballots during the local elections. The team is scheduled to examine the ballots, surveillance camera footage and other material at the gymnasium.

What are protesters demanding at the Olympic Park Handball Gymnasium during the ballot shortage investigation?

Protesters have blocked the removal of the ballots stored at the gymnasium while calling for accountability and a rerun of the elections.

48 riot police units to be deployed during inspection of local election ballots

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Summary

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency will deploy officers to maintain order during a special counsel team’s inspection of ballots at the Olympic Park Handball Gymnasium in southeastern Seoul on Wednesday. The team will examine 2.47 million ballots and other material as part of its investigation into a ballot shortage during the June 3 local elections. Protesters have blocked the ballots’ removal while calling for accountability and a rerun of the elections.

Key Facts

The police deployment will include 48 riot police units, 150 officers assigned to dialogue and mediation, and 300 detectives and investigators.
The total police force at the site is expected to number about 3,330, based on a typical riot police unit size of around 60 members.
The gymnasium continues to hold 2.47 million ballots cast in Seoul’s southeastern Songpa Ward.
The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said it would respond under the law to disruption of the inspection and to acts including assault, defamation or coercion against police and public servants.

By Yonhap

Published Oct 27, 2026 9:56 am KST

Protestors attend a rally decrying ballot shortages in the June 3 local elections at Olympic Park Seoul, June 18. Korea Times photo by Jung Da-bin

Forty-eight riot police units will be deployed to maintain order during a special counsel team's inspection of ballots cast in the June 3 local elections, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency (SMPA) said Tuesday.

Special counsel Lee Tae-han's team is set to visit the Olympic Park Handball Gymnasium in southeastern Seoul on Wednesday to examine 2.47 million ballots, surveillance camera footage and other material, as part of its probe into an unprecedented shortage of ballots during the local elections.

The gymnasium was used as a vote counting center and continues to house 2.47 million ballot papers cast in Seoul's southeastern Songpa Ward as protesters have blocked their removal amid calls for accountability and a rerun of the elections.

The SMPA said it will deploy 48 riot police units, 150 police officers tasked with dialogue and mediation, and 300 detectives and investigators to the site following a request from Lee's team to help maintain order during the inspection.

The total size of the police force is expected to be around 3,330, as a riot police unit typically consists of some 60 members.

"We plan to respond strictly, in accordance with the law and principles, to anyone who disrupts the special counsel's verification work and tasks necessary for the investigation, as well as to clearly illegal acts, such as assault, defamation or coercion against the police and public servants," the SMPA said in a notice to the press.

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