"Ballot Boxes Must Leave to Confirm Oh Sehoon," Authorities Say, but "Re-vote Needed"—Jamsil 7-dong Blocks Vote 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 2nd Polling Station in Jamsil 7-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul. Election authorities attempted to remove the ballot boxes, but their attempts were blocked once again. While the Seoul Metropolitan Election Commission is trying to persuade the public by emphasizing that vote counting must proceed in order to confirm the winners, opposition remains strong.

At around 10:45 a.m. on June 4, Beomjin Kim, Secretary General of the Seoul Metropolitan Election Commission, stated in front of the senior citizen center where the 2nd Polling Station is located in Jamsil 7-dong, "The important thing right now is that the counting needs to be completed in order to confirm the winners." Citizens and some YouTubers on site, who were in a standoff, responded by shouting for a "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 by saying, "Since candidate Sehoon Oh is almost certain to win, we must finish the vote counting to confirm the result, and only after the results are finalized can legal procedures regarding the validity of this election proceed." However, the citizens continued to protest, saying things like, "This isn't about political camps, it's about election fraud" and "How can we trust this?"

Secretary Kim stated, "There were some shortcomings in the election process, and I sincerely apologize on behalf of the Seoul Metropolitan Election Commission for causing concern in various ways. If responsibility is required, I will take responsibility."

This polling station is one of 14 in Seoul that experienced a shortage of ballot papers. Residents who were unable to vote by 6 p.m. the previous day were given waiting tickets, and voting continued until 10 p.m. Currently, there are about 2,000 ballots inside two ballot boxes that have not yet been removed. Many polling stations in Songpa-gu, Gangnam-gu, and Gwangjin-gu, which also experienced shortages, are categorized as having strong conservative leanings. This has fueled the opposition parties' 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 scene continues. At one point during the previous night, an unofficial estimate put the crowd at over 300 people. As the morning rush hour arrived, most residents left, and around 100 people, including conservative YouTubers, remained. Hwang Kyo-ahn, leader of the Liberty and Innovation Party, who has raised suspicions of election fraud, is also present with the protesters in front of the polling station.

The Seoul Metropolitan Election Commission has stated that it does not plan to forcibly transport the ballot boxes immediately, but since most other regions have completed counting, the transport is considered inevitable to conclude the election. However, due to concerns over potential physical clashes, it appears difficult to attempt a forced removal. Election authorities have not withdrawn their intention to transport the ballot boxes.

Meanwhile, the People's Livelihood Countermeasures Committee has filed a police complaint against Noh Tae-ak, Chairman of the National Election Commission, Heo Cheol-hoon, Secretary General, Oh Min-seok, Chairman of the Seoul Metropolitan Election Commission, and Beomjin Kim, Secretary General, on charges of abuse of authority and dereliction of duty.

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