Jamsil ballot-shortage protest enters fourth day, drawing up to 20,000

A blockade protest outside a vote-counting center in Jamsil, launched to protest a ballot shortage during the June 3 local elections and demand a re-election, entered its fourth day Monday.

About 8,000 people were gathered near the Olympic Park Handball Gymnasium in Songpa-gu, Seoul — which served as a counting center — as of 12:10 a.m. Monday, according to an unofficial police estimate cited by Yonhap News Agency.

Real-time population data from the Seoul Metropolitan Government showed between 9,000 and 9,500 people inside Olympic Park at the same time, with those in their 20s (33.0 percent) and 30s (22.2 percent) accounting for more than half.

The unofficial police crowd count grew consistently from 3,000 at noon Sunday to a peak of 20,000 by 6 p.m. before tapering off as night fell.

Some participants planned to hold an overnight vigil and stand guard near the entrances, amid reports that police could move to forcibly disperse the crowd Monday morning.

Demonstrators spread out around the venue's entrances, many holding hand-drawn versions of the South Korean flag.

"This is the first protest I've ever joined in my life," said Kim, 27, who gave only a surname. "I came because I felt that if we let this slide, citizens' right to vote could be violated again in the future."

With no central organizer directing the protest, the mood shifted depending on the time of day.

Daytime gatherings focused on demands for accountability over the ballot shortage and calls for a re-election, but by evening some participants began raising fraud allegations and chanting related slogans.

Signs calling for the abolition of early voting and a manual recount also appeared at the scene, and some participants made remarks referencing specific political parties or current and former politicians.

The shifting tone sparked friction among demonstrators.

Participants who alleged election fraud accused those insisting on chanting only "re-election" of being members of the Korean University Students Progressive Alliance, leading to confrontations. An assault complaint was filed in connection with the clashes.

A separate argument broke out when some participants demanded that a demonstrator carrying a flag reading "death penalty for election fraud" take it down, saying it was inconsistent with the protest's purpose, prompting a call to the police emergency line.

Police deployed 350 officers, including six riot control companies, to prepare for any unexpected incidents.

Fire department authorities said no emergency medical transports or other unusual incidents related to the rally had been reported at the scene.