KOR
▲ Members of the National Assembly's Special Committee on the Investigation into the 9th Nationwide Local Election Ballot Shortage and Election Management Reform enter the ballot counting station at the Olympic Park Handball Gymnasium in Songpa-gu, Seoul, for an on-site inspection on July 2.
The National Assembly's Special Committee on the Investigation into the June 3 local election ballot shortage entered the Olympic Park Handball Gymnasium in Songpa-gu, Seoul, today (July 2) with the assistance of the police and conducted an on-site inspection for 40 minutes.
This comes 27 days after the blockade protests began, following the late arrival and counting of two ballot boxes from the Jamsil 7-dong No. 2 polling station at the handball gymnasium, which served as the counting station, on June 5.
The committee members, who entered the gymnasium at 1:10 p.m. today (July 2), immediately moved to the basement to inspect the stored items and conducted their review under the guidance of relevant officials.
They examined the management status of locking devices and storage procedures following the transport of the ballot boxes, and checked the security system, including the installation locations of closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras.
The members left the site at 1:47 p.m. after a 40-minute inspection.
No substantive verification, such as opening ballot boxes or counting ballots, was conducted.
The members also left the stored items in place without removing them from the facility.
Inside the gymnasium, approximately 380 ballot boxes and 2.47 million ballots from across Songpa-gu remain, unable to be moved due to the ongoing blockade protests outside.
It was reported that election-related documents, including voting records, early voting records, ballot boxes, ballot storage boxes, and vote counting status sheets, as well as counting equipment, rented PCs, and printers, are also being stored there.
Earlier, the police warned that those who refused to comply with safety measures, such as securing access routes, or who assaulted or threatened police officers could be punished for obstruction of justice, before moving the protesters around the entrance out of the area one by one.
During this process, one participant was transported by 119 emergency services after claiming a foot injury.
Some participants protested against the riot police, but were restrained by other participants nearby.
Shouts and profanities were exchanged at the scene, including an argument between a participant who had been moved from the entrance and other protesters.
However, as the committee members and police secured the entrance, the protesting participants gradually dispersed, and the tension somewhat subsided.
The police stated that no protesters were taken into custody during the committee's on-site inspection today.
A woman who had been single-handedly blocking the sports organization's entry into the gymnasium, dubbed the "Olympic Joan of Arc," also appeared at the protest site.
Figures who have been alleging election fraud, including Hwang Kyo-ahn, leader of Freedom and Innovation, and producer Lee Young-don, were also present at the scene.
The police managed the site by deploying a total of 2,000 personnel, including approximately 100 dialogue police officers, 300 detectives, and 25 riot police units.
According to Seoul's real-time city data, the real-time population within the park (including visitors and picnickers) was estimated at 12,000 to 14,000, but the number of protesters was not separately calculated.
(Photo: Provided by the National Assembly Press Corps, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.
