More than 1,000 police officers were mobilized to the polling station in Jamsil, Seoul's Songpa district, from around 7:30 a.m. to secure two ballot boxes that had remained inside the polling station for more than 35 hours after voting ended, leaving roughly 2,000 ballots uncounted.
The standoff stemmed from a shortage of ballot papers at several polling stations in southern Seoul on election day, which extended voting beyond closing time and left some voters unable to cast their ballots.
The ballot boxes could not be transferred to a counting center after protesters gathered outside the polling station, demanding an investigation into the ballot shortage and accountability from election officials. Some demonstrators also raised allegations of election fraud.
These protesters initially consisted largely of affected voters and local residents seeking an explanation for the disruption, but the crowd swelled as politicians and YouTubers raising allegations of election fraud joined in. Police estimated that as many as 1,300 people had gathered at the site by Thursday night.
As protesters ignored repeated orders to disperse and blocked the removal of ballot boxes, police forcefully entered the polling station and secured the boxes. Minor clashes were reported during the operation, and authorities warned that interfering with election officials or police could lead to criminal punishment.
Minor clashes were reported between the two sides, while authorities warned that interfering with election officials or police could result in criminal charges.
The NEC said the secured ballot boxes would be moved to a counting location to finalize results in the affected districts.
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