Jamsil 7-dong Polling Station Blocked Amid Shouts of "Election Fraud"... Residents Remain in Standoff

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At the second polling station in Jamsil 7-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul, where a shortage of ballots occurred, residents stepped in to prevent the removal of ballot boxes, causing chaos at the site to continue late into the night.

After 11 p.m. on the 3rd, nearly 200 residents had gathered around the main and back entrances of the senior center where the second polling station of Jamsil 7-dong was set up, closely monitoring whether the ballot boxes would be taken out. Residents strongly protested the ballot shortage, chanting slogans such as "election fraud," "invalid from the start," and "dissolve the National Election Commission."

At Jamsil 7-dong Second Polling Station in Songpa-gu, Seoul, where a shortage of ballots occurred, residents are still gathered at 11 p.m. on the 3rd, after the extended voting hours, preventing the removal of the ballot box. Photo by Hosoo Park

Residents expressed distrust regarding the ballot shortage and the election management process. One resident said, "I plan to stay up all night," adding, "I will not back down until we have a re-vote." Another resident, who had been waiting to vote, shouted, "I saw ballots being brought in by motorcycle in plastic and zipper bags. Is our country some kind of underdeveloped nation?"

Previously, due to the ballot shortage at this polling station, only voters who received waiting tickets were allowed to vote, and the voting hours were extended from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. However, as the voting deadline approached, more residents and voters gathered in front of the polling station, creating further problems. Some residents waiting in line were unable to cast their ballots, and afterward, a number of residents gathered around the polling station, raising concerns over the removal of ballot boxes.

On the same day, at 14 polling stations across Seoul, including Songpa-gu, Gangnam-gu, and Gwangjin-gu, a shortage of ballots led to voters having to wait for extended periods. The National Election Commission issued a public apology at 9 p.m., stating, "In the case of Songpa-gu, it appears that we printed 50% of the total number of eligible voters," and added, "We need to thoroughly investigate why there was a shortage this time, even though there were early voters as well."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.