Jamsil Counting Center Blockade Sit-in Continues for Second Day... 2,000 Citizens Gather, Chant "Hold a Re-election"

The “Jamsil Counting Center Blockade Sit-in,” condemning the “ballot shortage crisis” and demanding a re-election, has continued for a second day.

On June 5, 2026, in front of Polling Station 2 in Jamsil 7-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul, police are dispersing demonstrators who stood in the way of transporting the ballot boxes. Photo by Kim Hyunmin

According to the police and foreign media as of 12:35 p.m. on June 6, approximately 2,000 citizens, based on unofficial police estimates, were gathered around the Olympic Park Handball Gymnasium in Songpa-gu, Seoul, where the counting center is located, facing off with the authorities. The number of protesters, which peaked at nearly 6,000 to 7,000 around midnight, had decreased to about 500 by 7 a.m., but began to swell again as the morning progressed.

Participants, many holding Taegeukgi flags and other symbols, have thoroughly blocked all eight entrances in and around the gymnasium, chanting slogans such as "Hold a re-election" and singing the national anthem to prevent the removal of ballot boxes. In preparation for any possible incidents, the police deployed around 400 riot police officers at major points such as the gymnasium's main entrance. Although there were sporadic verbal disputes and scuffles on site, fortunately, no large-scale physical clashes broke out.

Notably, a major K-pop concert with an audience of around 10,000 was held that day at the neighboring KSPO Dome and 88 Lawn Field, directly adjacent to the counting center, resulting in severe congestion as the music from the concert mixed with the protesters’ chants for a re-election.

The protesters, who gathered spontaneously without any specific organization or leader, include a significant number of young people in their 20s and 30s, as well as women. The presence of people with disabilities in wheelchairs and parents holding infants was also observed. Hwang Kyo-ahn, leader of the Liberty and Innovation Party, who has previously raised suspicions of election fraud, also joined the rally. At 10:20 a.m., the protesters held a moment of silent tribute in observance of Memorial Day.

Since 3 p.m. the previous day, when the vote counting was completed, about 20 to 30 election commission officials have reportedly been isolated inside the counting center, unable to leave. The ballot boxes in question, blocked by the protesters, also remain stored inside the gymnasium.

The full-scale sit-in in front of the counting center began at 10 a.m. the previous day, when the ballot boxes from Jamsil 7-dong, where the ballot shortage crisis occurred, were forcibly transferred to the Handball Gymnasium under police authority. That afternoon, several politicians from the People Power Party visited the site and suggested moving the protest to the front of the presidential office in Yongsan, but the participants rejected the proposal and are continuing to maintain their presence at the counting center.

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