An election commission official explains the situation to protesters demonstrating over a ballot shortage outside the Seoul Election Commission office in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on Wednesday. [Yonhap]
An election commission official explains the situation to protesters demonstrating over a ballot shortage outside the Seoul Election Commission office in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on Wednesday. [Yonhap]

About 500 protesters — by police estimates — gathered around 12:30 a.m. Thursday outside the National Election Commission headquarters in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, after a ballot shortage disrupted voting in the 9th nationwide local elections. The demonstrators alleged the vote was rigged.

The crowd, led by YouTuber and former history lecturer Jeon Han-gil, chanted slogans including "nullify the election" and "halt the vote count," and demanded that the commission open its main gate. Participants waving South Korean and American flags held up banners reading "fraudulent election, legislative dictatorship" and similar messages.

"Evidence of election fraud is pouring in from across the country," Jeon said. "Some are trying to confine this issue to Seoul by saying ballots ran short there, but ballots also ran short in Incheon. Every vote cast in every part of the country is invalid."

YouTuber and former history lecturer Jeon Han-gil. [Yonhap]
YouTuber and former history lecturer Jeon Han-gil. [Yonhap]

Earlier, Jeon called on followers through a personal livestream to gather at Gwanghwamun, saying the election results were invalid. The protesters first held a rally in the plaza in front of the Government Seoul Building in Gwanghwamun on Wednesday afternoon before Jeon redirected the crowd to the election commission headquarters in Gwacheon. A small number remained at Gwanghwamun for solo demonstrations and similar protests.

After the Gwanghwamun rally, Jeon moved to Gwacheon and joined roughly 100 people already assembled there, including members of a group calling itself the "NEC Server Hack Campaign Headquarters." He continued to urge additional supporters to converge on the site through his livestream, and the crowd grew as the night wore on.

Police deployed around 200 officers, including riot units, to guard against potential clashes and were monitoring the situation. Officers told Yonhap News Agency that the permit for the Gwanghwamun plaza rally had been valid only until midnight.

Meanwhile, People Power Party standing election strategy committee chairman Jang Dong-hyeok and other party leaders visited the National Election Commission on Wednesday at 10:30 p.m. to lodge a protest. Jang urged the commission to hold a by-election, saying, "The Seoul election has already been tainted. Because the election itself has been seriously compromised, a re-election must be held."

Jang said the Seoul election results should be nullified and called for a halt to vote counting until a full investigation is completed.

장동혁 “오염된 서울 선거는 무효…진상 파악까지 개표 중단해야”

장동혁 “오염된 서울 선거는 무효…진상 파악까지 개표 중단해야”

장동혁 국민의힘 상임선거대책위원장은 3일 제9회 전국동시지방선거 중 서울 일부 지역에서 투표용지 부족 사태가 발생한 것과 관련해 “이미 서울시의 선거는 오염된 선거
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