Seoul Protests Over June 3 Local Election Ballot Shortages Enter 17th Day as Election Commission Says No Rerun Required

Protests demanding a rerun of South Korea's June 3 local elections continued for a 17th day on June 21, 2026, outside SK Olympic Handball Gymnasium in Seoul's Songpa district. Demonstrators chanted slogans and held pickets claiming election fraud at the site used for ballot counting during the elections. , according to an estimate by the Seoul city government.

People in their 20s and 30s accounted for more than half of the total. The protests began on June 5, 2026, two days after ballot shortages temporarily suspended voting at 26 polling stations. The National Election Commission apologized for the shortages but stated that they do not warrant a rerun under the election law.

A joint team of police investigators and prosecutors has been investigating the National Election Commission over the ballot shortages. The government urged participants to refrain from illegal acts, stating that peaceful rallies should be protected while illegal acts of violence will not be tolerated.

Yonhap reported that the protests took place at the same location used as a ballot counting site for the June 3 elections.