Investigators inspect ballot-counting site in southern Seoul after monthlong blockade

By Lee Hugh Posted : July 2, 2026, 17:10 Updated : July 2, 2026, 17:40
Police officers disperse protesters at the entrance of an indoor handball gymnasium in Olympic Park in Songpa, southern Seoul on July 2, 2026. Yonhap
SEOUL, July 2 (AJP) - A parliamentary committee investigating ballot shortages that disrupted last month's local elections broke into a venue in southern Seoul on Thursday, after the site had been blocked by protesters for nearly a month.

Committee members managed to enter an indoor handball gymnasium within the Olympic Park in Songpa, which served as a ballot-counting site on the June 3 election day, after police cleared access routes and dispersed protesters who had been blocking the front of the gymnasium.

They then conducted an on-site inspection that lasted about 40 minutes.

The inspection came some 27 days after protesters began barricading the venue, demanding a rerun of the elections following ballot shortages that temporarily suspended or delayed voting at polling stations in several districts in southern Seoul.

To ensure safety for the inspection and prevent possible clashes with protesters, police deployed around 1,500 officers, with some protesters forcibly moved away from the entrances.

But scuffles broke out around the venue as a number of protesters continued to try to block access, saying they would only allow entry to those holding a warrant.

The parliamentary investigation follows public backlash over the irregularities and mismanagement of the elections, which led to calls for an inquiry into the infringement of voting rights.

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