"Ballot Boxes Must Be Removed to Confirm Oh Sehoon"...Jamsil 7-dong Continues to Block Counting

Beomjin Kim Attempts to Persuade Confronting Citizens
Conservative YouTubers Continue to Protest, Chanting "Election Fraud"

On the day of the 9th nationwide local elections, an unprecedented shortage of ballot papers occurred at the Jamsil 7-dong No. 2 polling station in Songpa-gu, Seoul. Election authorities attempted to remove the ballot boxes, but their efforts were blocked once again. The Seoul Metropolitan Election Commission has been trying to explain that ballot counting is necessary to confirm the winners, but resistance remains strong.

At around 10:45 a.m. on June 4, Kim Beomjin, Secretary General of the Seoul Metropolitan Election Commission, stated in front of the senior citizens' center where the Jamsil 7-dong No. 2 polling station was set up, "What is important right now is that the ballot counting must be completed in order to confirm the winners." Citizens and several YouTubers in the standoff responded by chanting "re-vote" and "election fraud."

Kim Beomjin, Secretary General of the Seoul Metropolitan Election Commission, is persuading citizens engaged in a standoff in front of the Jamsil 7-dong No. 2 polling station on the morning of the 4th. Photo by Jae-Hyun Park

He continued to persuade them, saying, "Since candidate Oh Sehoon is almost certain to win, the vote count must be completed to confirm the result, and only after the ballot counting is finalized can the legal procedures regarding the validity of this election proceed." Nevertheless, citizens kept protesting, saying, "This is not about political camps but about election fraud," and "How can we trust this?"

Secretary General Kim stated, "On behalf of the Seoul Metropolitan Election Commission, I apologize for causing concern due to certain inadequacies in the election process," and added, "If accountability is needed, we will take responsibility."

This site is one of 14 polling stations in Seoul that experienced a shortage of ballot papers. Residents who could not vote by 6 p.m. the previous day were given waiting tickets, and voting continued until 10 p.m. Currently, about 2,000 ballots remain in two ballot boxes that have not been removed. Many of the polling stations with ballot shortages in Songpa-gu, Gangnam-gu, and Gwangjin-gu are classified as conservative-leaning areas. This has further fueled the opposition's claims of election fraud.

On the morning of the 4th at around 8 a.m., citizens and conservative-leaning YouTubers who had gathered since the previous night have been blocking the removal of the ballot box for over 10 hours at the senior citizens' center of an apartment complex in Jamsil 7-dong, where the second polling station is set up. Photo by Jaehyun Park

The standoff at the site continues. At one point during the night, unofficial estimates put the crowd at over 300 people. As the morning commute began, most residents left, leaving about 100 people behind, mainly conservative-leaning YouTubers. Hwang Kyo-ahn, leader of the Liberty and Innovation Party, who has been raising allegations of election fraud, is also standing with the protesters in front of the polling station.

The Seoul Metropolitan Election Commission has stated it will not immediately force the transfer of the ballot boxes, but since the vote counting has been completed in most regions, the removal of the ballot boxes here is essential to conclude the election. However, due to concerns about possible physical clashes, a forced removal appears unlikely. The election authorities have not withdrawn their intention to transfer the ballot boxes.

Meanwhile, the Committee for Public Livelihood Countermeasures has filed a police complaint against Roh Tae-ak, Chairperson of the National Election Commission, Heo Cheol-hoon, Secretary General of the National Election Commission, Oh Minseok, Chairperson of the Seoul Metropolitan Election Commission, and Kim Beomjin, Secretary General of the Seoul Metropolitan Election Commission, on charges of abuse of power and dereliction of duty.

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