A total of 2.47 million ballots from the June 3 local elections, which had been secured at the Handball Stadium in Olympic Park, Songpa District, Seoul, were removed on October 29, 148 days after the election.
The special investigation team of the Election Commission, led by Lee Tae-han, completed approximately 13 hours of public verification and secured ballots that were subject to objections or deemed needing further analysis. The investigation has now moved to a phase of detailed examination to verify the allegations raised.
According to the special investigation team and the Central Election Commission, a total of 433 ballot storage boxes were removed from the stadium on that day. Of these, 420 boxes containing ballots deemed normal during the verification process were transferred to a secure storage facility designated by the Election Commission. The remaining 13 boxes were secured by the special investigation team for additional verification. The Election Commission did not disclose the specific storage location for security reasons.
The removal process began at approximately 6:15 a.m. and concluded by 6:40 a.m. Police separated the protesters from the removal route as Election Commission staff moved the boxes to vehicles outside the stadium, and no physical clashes occurred during this process. The ballots transported by the Election Commission will be kept for the duration of the elected officials' terms, as mandated by the Public Official Election Act.
Plans for Forensic Analysis to Confirm Criminal Allegations
The special investigation team plans to reclassify and sort the secured ballots, conducting some analyses internally while referring materials needing further examination to the National Forensic Service. This process aims to determine whether the questions raised regarding the printing and marking of the ballots are related to actual forgery, alteration, or other criminal allegations.
According to a member of the National Assembly's Administrative Safety Committee from the Democratic Party, approximately 700 ballots have been identified as needing further verification. However, this number does not represent the final count of items officially announced by the special investigation team. The 13 boxes secured by the team also include those submitted voluntarily at the request of observers. This does not imply that irregularities were found in all separately secured ballots.
Lee Tae-han stated after the verification, "We respected the objections raised by observers and selected a significant number of ballots for further analysis, including those submitted voluntarily from entire boxes."
In addition to analyzing the ballots, the special investigation team plans to examine closed-circuit television footage around the storage location for any signs of external intrusion, as well as investigate potential hacking or manipulation of ballot sorting machines. The goal is to comprehensively verify the condition of the ballots, the management and storage processes, and the operation of related equipment to determine if there were any discrepancies in the ballot counts.
According to a member of the National Assembly's Administrative Safety Committee from the Democratic Party, approximately 700 ballots have been identified as needing further verification. However, this number does not represent the final count of items officially announced by the special investigation team. The 13 boxes secured by the team also include those submitted voluntarily at the request of observers. This does not imply that irregularities were found in all separately secured ballots.
Lee Tae-han stated after the verification, "We respected the objections raised by observers and selected a significant number of ballots for further analysis, including those submitted voluntarily from entire boxes."
In addition to analyzing the ballots, the special investigation team plans to examine closed-circuit television footage around the storage location for any signs of external intrusion, as well as investigate potential hacking or manipulation of ballot sorting machines. The goal is to comprehensively verify the condition of the ballots, the management and storage processes, and the operation of related equipment to determine if there were any discrepancies in the ballot counts.
Challenges Remain After Nearly 13 Hours of Verification
The public verification process began at 11:49 a.m. the previous day and concluded at 12:38 a.m. on the day of the removal. Over 110 personnel from the special investigation team and more than 500 Election Commission staff were involved, with observers selected by the National Assembly and lawmakers from both parties monitoring the proceedings.
Counting personnel examined each ballot for marking and printing conditions before confirming the quantities with counting machines. Ballots requiring additional verification were sorted separately for examination using optical equipment in the stadium's verification room. The verification process was recorded by cameras.
Some observers protested, demanding the use of personal equipment and box-level verification. After the verification concluded, representatives from the People Power Party attempted to block the removal of the ballots, leading to delays. Representatives Jang Dong-hyuk and Kim Min-soo staged a sit-in around the ballot boxes until dawn.
Jang expressed concerns via social media about the sealing condition of the storage boxes and the color and margins of the ballots. In contrast, Democratic Party observers argued that the ballots in question represented only a small portion of the total, countering claims of election fraud. With differing interpretations from both sides, the validity of the allegations raised regarding individual ballots will remain to be clarified through subsequent analyses.
This public verification is part of an investigative procedure to confirm evidence related to the ballot shortage incident and is distinct from a recount due to election disputes. The mere fact that objections were raised on-site does not prove forgery or manipulation of election results.
Since the ballot shortage incident on June 5, the Handball Stadium has been blocked by protesters claiming they cannot accept the vote counting results. Although all ballots were removed on this day, some protesters remained in the vicinity to continue their demonstrations.
Korea Sports Industry Development, which manages the Olympic Park facilities, plans to conduct guidance activities requesting the voluntary removal of tents and canopies. Further measures will be necessary to restore normal operations at the stadium and among the resident sports organizations.
Counting personnel examined each ballot for marking and printing conditions before confirming the quantities with counting machines. Ballots requiring additional verification were sorted separately for examination using optical equipment in the stadium's verification room. The verification process was recorded by cameras.
Some observers protested, demanding the use of personal equipment and box-level verification. After the verification concluded, representatives from the People Power Party attempted to block the removal of the ballots, leading to delays. Representatives Jang Dong-hyuk and Kim Min-soo staged a sit-in around the ballot boxes until dawn.
Jang expressed concerns via social media about the sealing condition of the storage boxes and the color and margins of the ballots. In contrast, Democratic Party observers argued that the ballots in question represented only a small portion of the total, countering claims of election fraud. With differing interpretations from both sides, the validity of the allegations raised regarding individual ballots will remain to be clarified through subsequent analyses.
This public verification is part of an investigative procedure to confirm evidence related to the ballot shortage incident and is distinct from a recount due to election disputes. The mere fact that objections were raised on-site does not prove forgery or manipulation of election results.
Since the ballot shortage incident on June 5, the Handball Stadium has been blocked by protesters claiming they cannot accept the vote counting results. Although all ballots were removed on this day, some protesters remained in the vicinity to continue their demonstrations.
Korea Sports Industry Development, which manages the Olympic Park facilities, plans to conduct guidance activities requesting the voluntary removal of tents and canopies. Further measures will be necessary to restore normal operations at the stadium and among the resident sports organizations.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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