Key facts
- Members of a special parliamentary committee inspected a vote counting venue in Seoul.
- The venue had been blockaded by protesters for 27 days following ballot shortages in the June 3 local elections.
- Lawmakers confirmed the presence of ballot boxes, ballots, and voting logs.
- Concerns were raised regarding the lack of surveillance cameras and security measures at the storage site.
- Police deployed approximately 2,000 personnel to manage the situation and clear protesters.
Members of a special parliamentary committee investigating ballot shortages that occurred during the June 3 local elections conducted their first on-site inspection on Thursday at the Olympic Park Handball Gymnasium in southern Seoul. The venue had been blockaded by protesters for 27 days, beginning on June 5, who were demanding a rerun of the elections. Police cleared protesters from the stadium's entrance to allow the committee access. During the inspection, lawmakers, led by committee chief Rep. Yoon Sang-hyun, examined a basement storage area containing approximately 380 ballot boxes, around 2.47 million ballots, and voting logs. They confirmed the materials were still stored inside but expressed concerns over the absence of surveillance cameras and other security measures. The committee did not open any ballot boxes. Scuffles were observed outside the stadium, with some protesters clashing and tearing American flags. Some protesters opposed the inspection, stating they would only permit special counsel investigators or those with a warrant. Police deployed about 2,000 personnel to prevent further clashes, and one protester was taken to a hospital for a foot injury. Earlier in the day, committee members visited the Songpa District Election Commission to receive a briefing from election officials on ballot paper management.