Six injured at Jamsil polling, counting sites; no one unconscious, officials say

Ballot counting has been completed for two ballot boxes removed from Polling Station No. 2 in Jamsil 7-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul — the site of a nearly three-day blockade by protesters.

Several people were injured during anti-counting demonstrations and as police moved to clear the blockade at both the polling station and the counting center. No serious injuries have been reported.

The Songpa Fire Department treated a total of six patients at Polling Station No. 2 in Jamsil 7-dong and at the Olympic Park Handball Gymnasium, which is serving as the counting center, from Thursday night through Friday, according to Yonhap News Agency.

Three of those patients were taken to hospital: a woman in her 40s who complained of headaches and dizziness at the polling station Thursday night, and a teenage boy and a woman in her 30s who reported ankle sprains and shoulder pain Friday morning.

All three sustained minor injuries with no threat to their lives.

A man in his 30s and a man in his 70s at the polling station Friday morning sustained minor injuries but did not require hospitalization. A man in his 40s at the counting center was treated on the scene for minor injuries.

Fire authorities dismissed as false a rumor circulating in some quarters that a protester in their 20s had lost consciousness during the police operation.

Police also issued a notice saying that social media posts claiming a 21-year-old university student had suffered a head injury and fallen into a coma during the removal of the ballot boxes were untrue. The claim had been checked against relevant video footage and statements from officers present at the scene, police said.

As of 3 p.m. Friday, citizens alleging election fraud and conservative-leaning YouTubers had gathered in front of the Olympic Park Handball Gymnasium, demanding that counting be halted.

Some in the crowd attempted to force their way into the counting center, prompting police to erect barricades and block the entrance.

Shoving broke out between police and protesters.

Demonstrators argued that the ballot boxes had been transported and were being counted without the presence of official observers, claiming procedural violations.

Calls also continued for a National Election Commission official to appear in person and explain how the boxes had been moved and counting had proceeded.

Opposition figures joined the crowd. People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok and lawmakers Kim Eun-hye and Ju Jin-woo requested a meeting with election commission officials, saying they wanted to confirm whether PPP-designated counting observers were present inside. Hwang Kyo-ahn, leader of the Liberty and Innovation Party, who has repeatedly raised election fraud allegations, chanted slogans alongside the protesters.

Polling Station No. 2 in Jamsil 7-dong had run short of ballots on election day and was subsequently blockaded for nearly three days by protesters alleging fraud, before more than 1,000 police officers moved in Friday morning to retrieve the ballot boxes.

Scuffles broke out as officers pulled protesters one by one from a human chain formed in front of the station, and some demonstrators accused police of using excessive force.

[속보] 6·3 지방선거 개표 완료, 오세훈 1.15%p차 승리 확정

https://biz.heraldcorp.com/article/10764681