20s and 30s Gather Again: Food Trucks, Coffee Vans, and Medical Booths Appear

[Anchor]

As the second weekend of protests begins, people in their 20s and 30s are gathering once again in front of the ballot counting station at Olympic Park in Seoul. Let’s go straight to the scene.

Reporter Cho Min-ki, what is the situation like there?

[Reporter]

Yes, unlike the weekdays when the crowd was mostly composed of older generations, the protest site here is seeing a steady influx of people in their 20s and 30s, including couples and families, as the weekend begins.

While the police unofficially estimated about 10,000 protesters at 5:30 p.m. on the Saturday a week ago, the count was at 8,000 as of 5:00 p.m. today (June 13), and it increased further to 12,000 as of 7:00 p.m. a short while ago.

[Kwon Woo-yeon / Gangnam-gu, Seoul: The weather is hot, but I came out here with my children for the voting rights of the future generation.]

[Choi Sang-pil / Chinese food truck owner: I prepared to serve 1,500 to 2,000 servings (for free), as much as I can provide. I came here because I felt ashamed as a member of the older generation. I wanted to do something to help.]

As the protest enters its ninth day and becomes prolonged, food trucks, coffee vans, and medical volunteer booths have appeared at the site.

The police have deployed approximately 400 officers from seven riot police units to manage the scene.

While the protesters' slogan last weekend focused solely on calling for a re-election instead of mentioning election fraud, today the message appeared unified as "Election Fraud, Re-election."

However, no physical clashes have occurred today. In weather exceeding 30°C (86°F), participants have been seeking shade, laying out mats, or drinking ice water provided by volunteers to escape the heat.

[Anchor]

I can see many citizens waving the Taegeukgi (South Korean flag) in the background. There have been many small and large disturbances so far; what is the progress on the related investigations?

[Reporter]

Yes, the police have begun tracking down protesters who illegally searched the belongings of the women's junior national handball team and confined a journalist.

Yesterday, they identified one woman who participated in the incident involving the handball team.

It is reported that no further identities have been confirmed yet.

Meanwhile, the joint investigation headquarters of the prosecution and police, which is investigating the shortage of ballots, is conducting a search and seizure of the National Election Commission's servers for the third consecutive day.

The joint investigation team stated that because the volume of data is so vast, the search and seizure could continue throughout the weekend.

Focusing on analyzing the seized materials, the joint investigation team plans to begin summoning related individuals for questioning starting next week.

(Reported by Cho Chang-hyun | Video edited by Yoon Tae-ho)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.