South Koreas Ballot Paper Investigation: Parliamentary Committee Inspects Polling Center Amid Protests

Seoul, July 2: A special parliamentary committee investigating the shortage of ballot papers during the local elections held on June 3 in South Korea inspected a polling center on Thursday. This center has been occupied by protesters who are preventing the removal of ballot boxes.

The inspection took place as demonstrators have been staging a sit-in outside the Olympic Park Handball Gymnasium in southern Seoul for the past 27 days, demanding a re-election. Their protests began on June 5, just two days after the elections, when voting was temporarily disrupted at several polling stations due to a lack of ballots.

To facilitate the committee’s access to the stadium, police removed protesters blocking the entrance. This stadium served as a counting center on election day, and the inspection lasted approximately 40 minutes.

Tensions escalated outside the stadium on Thursday morning, with scuffles reported among protesters. Some pushed each other, while others continued to blockade the stadium, insisting that only officials with a special counsel team or court warrants should be allowed inside.

To maintain order, police deployed around 2,000 officers and separated the protesters. Emergency medical teams were called after reports of one protester allegedly fainting, though the cause of the incident was not immediately clear.

Earlier, committee members visited the Songpa District Election Commission, where election officials briefed them on the management and distribution of ballots on election day.

Officials had announced on Wednesday that the parliamentary committee would conduct its first site inspection this week regarding the ballot shortage during the June local elections. The committee approved plans for inspections of the Songpa District Election Commission and the Olympic Park Handball Gymnasium during a meeting on Thursday morning. This inspection is part of the investigation into the voting and counting processes.

According to committee officials, a second site inspection was initially scheduled for the following Wednesday but has now been rescheduled for Tuesday. However, the location for this inspection has yet to be determined.

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