Protest Blocking Vote Counting Center Enters 16th Day; Election Official Questioned

[Anchor]

In Jamsil, Seoul, a protest blocking a vote counting center has continued for 16 days over the shortage of ballots during the June 3 local elections. The joint investigation team of the prosecution and police is also accelerating its probe. Let's go to the scene.

Reporter Lee Se-hyeon, you were reporting from the scene last week; what is the atmosphere like today, June 20?

[Reporter]

Yes, due to the rain since this morning, there are fewer participants compared to last Saturday.

However, some participants are still chanting slogans calling for a re-election while holding umbrellas with patterns of the South Korean and U.S. flags.

As the protest continues, the venue for a music concert originally scheduled to be held here at the Handball Gymnasium today has been changed to the 88 Lawn Field.

With the protest becoming prolonged, it appears difficult to hold games or performances here normally for the time being.

The investigation to uncover the truth behind the ballot shortage incident is also gaining momentum.

The joint investigation team summoned one vote counting official from Gaepo 2-dong, Gangnam-gu, as a witness today to question them about the situation on the day of the election.

The joint investigation team stated that they will focus on analyzing the materials secured through search and seizure operations at the National Election Commission and the Seoul Metropolitan Election Commission this weekend.

The police, who are investigating illegal activities related to this protest, have identified three individuals who damaged the locks on the entrance of the counting center and attempted to enter without authorization on the 7th, and plan to question them soon.

Additionally, police have questioned one of the five individuals suspected of illegally searching the belongings of the women's junior national handball team.

At the protest site today, an 80-year-old man was caught in possession of a gas gun, but police verified his firearm possession permit and allowed him to return home.

(Reported by Kim Nam-seong | Video by Kim Jun-hee)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.