On June 8, citizens flocked to the handball arena at Olympic Park, where the counting center is located. According to police estimates, around 2,700 people were present by 6 p.m., but the crowd grew as more participants joined after work and school. The participation of young professionals and college students was particularly striking, with many arriving immediately after finishing their classes or work.
The crowd included citizens who took leave from work and participants who traveled from other regions. Some stated, "We can't leave until the results are announced," as they continued to camp out and protest overnight.
A pink Tesla Cybertruck displayed a sign stating, "Feel free to take some. It's a small gesture, but we want to help," offering free kimbap and drinks. Another sign read, "The Cybertruck will shield you from rain and heat. We will return after work. Anyone is welcome to sit down here." The vehicle served as a resting area for participants.
One participant offered free tutoring for students, setting up a makeshift desk with a sign that read, "Students are the future, during the exam period for middle and high school students," announcing free math and science tutoring.
As police have not yet intervened to disperse the gathering, the possibility of the protest continuing for an extended period is being discussed.
According to Yonhap News on June 8, Cheon Ha-ram, the floor leader of the Reform Party, held a press conference stating that he received a report from the deputy secretary-general of the Central Election Commission regarding the ballot shortage.
The commission reported that during the June 3 local elections, 50 polling stations nationwide experienced a shortage of ballots. Of these, 22 were identified as locations where voters had to wait to cast their votes. However, this figure was based on data collected as of June 5, and the commission noted that the actual number could increase after further verification.
Additionally, 67 polling stations received extra ballots due to concerns about shortages. Of these, 50 experienced actual shortages, while the remaining 17 received additional ballots as a precaution.
Questions have also been raised regarding the commission's response.
According to the Reform Party, the commission received a relevant report at 11:40 a.m. on election day, but the Central Election Commission officially recognized the situation at 4:25 p.m. The decision to extend the voting hours at some polling stations until 10 p.m. was made solely by the chair of the Seoul Election Commission, without formal approval from the Central Election Commission, and no subsequent resolution was reported.
Cheon stated, "This raises legal validity and overreach issues."
The Reform Party plans to file a petition for partial invalidation of the election in certain districts where voters experienced delays and pursue selective re-elections.
According to the Central Election Commission's election statistics system, the preliminary votes in Songdo 1-dong and Songdo 2-dong showed identical counts of 3,030 votes for the winning candidate Park Chan-dae and 1,440 votes for the People Power Party candidate Yoo Jeong-bok.
Yoo raised suspicions, stating, "This is an extremely rare result statistically."
In contrast, the Incheon Election Commission explained that the ballots in the two districts were counted independently using different machines and personnel, and the same figures resulted from the manual sorting and summation of ballots that required re-verification.
The commission emphasized that representatives from each party and candidate were present throughout the counting process, making fraud or manipulation impossible, and urged the public to refrain from spreading unfounded suspicions.
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.