politics
South Korean Committee Inspects Ballot Boxes at Seoul Stadium After Police Clear Protesters
Lawmakers entered the Olympic Park Handball Gymnasium on July 2 to examine 380 ballot boxes and 2.47 million ballots stored since the June 3 local elections. The visit followed 27 days of protests and required police to remove demonstrators blocking access.
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Members of a special parliamentary committee entered the Olympic Park Handball Gymnasium in southern Seoul on July 2 to inspect ballot boxes stored since the June 3 local elections, Yonhap reported. Police cleared protesters from the entrance to allow the lawmakers access. The committee, led by Rep.
Yoon Sang-hyun of the People Power Party, examined a basement storage area holding around 380 ballot boxes, some 2.47 million ballots and voting logs. The panel confirmed the materials remained in place but raised concerns over the absence of surveillance cameras and other security measures. Lawmakers did not open any ballot boxes.
The inspection occurred 27 days after protesters began blockading the site on June 5 to demand a rerun of the elections, which were disrupted by ballot shortages. Earlier on July 2, committee members visited the Songpa District Election Commission for a briefing on ballot paper management. Scuffles broke out outside the stadium, with some protesters shoving one another and tearing American flags.
One man in his 60s was arrested for allegedly pushing police officers. Police deployed about 2,000 personnel to the site, and one protester was hospitalized with a foot injury. Some demonstrators said they would permit entry only to special counsel investigators or those with a warrant.
