Crowd Shrinks from Over 30,000 to 1,000... Month-Long Protest Shows "Purpose Lost" and Division

Blockade at Vote Counting Site Enters Its Second Month
Crowds Plummet from Over 30,000 to Just 1,000
YouTubers and Religious Groups Fuel Signs of Division
Volunteers Lament: "The Original Purpose Has Been Lost"

As the blockade protest at the Olympic Park ballot counting site in Seoul over the ballot paper shortage crisis enters a protracted phase, signs of division are emerging among the participants. This is believed to be the result of hardline political groups and religious organizations joining the citizens who initially volunteered to condemn the National Election Commission’s mismanagement.

According to police on July 3, as of 3 p.m. the previous day, an unofficial estimate of about 1,000 people had gathered around the Handball Gymnasium at Olympic Park in Songpa-gu, Seoul. This is a significant decrease compared to the peak crowd of up to 33,000 on June 6, the first weekend after the protest began. Attendance now fluctuates between 1,000 and 5,000 even on weekends.

On the 2nd, at the vote counting site protest in Olympic Park, Songpa-gu, Seoul, some protest participants lay down claiming that "someone pushed them." Photo by Jaehyun Park

In the early days of the protest, most participants were ordinary citizens and university students who joined voluntarily. Recently, however, more organized groups have come to fill a large portion of the site. At the scene, there have even been instances where people playing music through portable speakers were accused—without evidence—of being "agents," "acting under orders," or "leftists trying to infiltrate."

The slogans have also changed. Initially, the demands centered on "re-election" and then shifted to "manual counting of votes cast on the day." Since mid-June, some protesters have started chanting slogans such as "A-WEB (Association of World Election Bodies) for election fraud" and "International investigation by A-WEB." The number of people waving the US flag instead of the Taegeukgi has also noticeably increased.

Differing groups, each with their own demands—such as "election fraud," "international investigation," or "reform of the National Election Commission"—are now clashing for control of the protest. In recent weeks, far-right YouTubers, Hwang Kyo-ahn, head of the Freedom and Innovation party, and Moses Tan, a professor at Liberty University in the United States, have broadcast live from the site in an effort to rally supporters.

On the 2nd, the Taegeukgi and the US flags were fluttering at the ballot counting protest site at Olympic Park in Songpa-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jaehyun Park

As the protest drags on, more people with promotional or evangelical motives have appeared. A US-based religious group that usually evangelizes near Hongik University Station has recently set up at the ballot counting site. Some groups have prayed with young protesters, while others played hymns with musical instruments.

A representative from one religious organization explained, "Elsewhere, we have to get permission or face restrictions for religious activities, but here there are many Christians from various churches and there are no separate restrictions."

Even among volunteers, conflicts are arising. One organization’s group chat was disbanded on July 1 after internal disputes. Although a new chat room, restricted to those willing to use their real names, was created afterwards, distrust persists as people suspect others may have motives unrelated to volunteering. As a result, many volunteers are now reluctant to reveal their names or personal information.

A volunteer in their 20s said, "At first, I joined for a good cause, but as the protest has dragged on, the original purpose seems to have changed," adding, "It's unfortunate that people are now attacking each other." A man in his 70s participating in the protest said, "In the early days, there were a lot of young people here, but now there are hardly any," and lamented, "We need more white-collar professionals to come out and join us."

On the 2nd, at the vote counting site protest at Olympic Park in Songpa-gu, Seoul, a religious group is playing musical instruments. Photo by Jaehyun Park

As conflicts among protesters have even led to physical altercations, police officers managing order at the scene are on heightened alert. Since the protest is an unauthorized assembly without an official organizer, the police are focusing on crowd and safety management rather than a hardline response, but have announced a policy of strict action in the event of illegal acts.

As of June 30, police were investigating 58 cases related to illegal acts at the Olympic Park ballot counting site blockade protest, with 139 individuals under investigation. On the previous day, a man in his 60s was additionally arrested for shoving and assaulting a police officer during the first on-site inspection by the National Assembly's special committee for the parliamentary investigation.

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