Ballots and ballot boxes removed, but demonstrators hold their ground
About 20 people on weekday mornings, more on weekends, participants say
Sports promotion body asks tents and structures cleared by Thursday
"This is where it all started, so I'm prepared to stage a one-person protest in front of Gates 1-3 until my demands are met," said Lee Seong-uk, a protest participant.
At around 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, some 20 people had gathered in front of Gates 1-3 of the Olympic Park Handball Gymnasium in Songpa-gu, Seoul, waving South Korean and American flags. With the morning low in Seoul dropping to 4 degrees Celsius, participants bundled up in padded jackets, scarves, masks and hats. To the beat of a drum, they chanted in unison: "Fraudulent election — re-election — same-day voting — manual count."
As 9 a.m. arrived, the demonstrators rose one by one and sang the national anthem. Around the gates, tents and canopies wrapped in foil were lined up in rows, with some people sleeping inside or sitting to escape the cold. After more than 150 days of continuous protest, everyday items and refuse had piled up across the park. Funeral wreaths stood densely arranged in memory of a demonstrator who had attended the Olympic Park protests and died of cardiac arrest in the early hours of a morning last month.
Notices were posted throughout the park calling on demonstrators to voluntarily clear and remove their structures. The Korea Sports Promotion Foundation asked through banners and signboards that tents, canopies and other installations be packed up and taken away by Thursday.
The protests have continued even after all ballots and ballot boxes were removed from the site. Participants said crowds are thin in the mornings but grow after the workday ends, adding that turnout was also strong on Saturday.
The 2.47 million ballots from the June 3 local elections in the Songpa area — which had undergone a public verification process by the special prosecutor team of the National Election Commission — were fully removed from the Olympic Park Handball Gymnasium on Thursday. It had been 146 days since the ballots were first transported to the gymnasium.
The National Election Commission began moving the verified ballot boxes out of the gymnasium from around 6:15 a.m. that day. Police formed a human chain to hold back demonstrators, and the removal proceeded without significant confrontation. The handball gymnasium, which had served as a vote-counting center for the Jamsil area, had been blockaded by protesters since June 5 in opposition to the election results. Demonstrators had in effect occupied the area around the counting center's entrances, refusing to accept the official tally.
Remaining protesters vow to stay
Sports body weighs options on structures
Lee Seong-uk, 82, who said he attends the protest nearly every morning, first came to the site on June 5. He described himself as part of the "morning shift" — arriving at 6 a.m. and holding his place until 11 a.m.
Lee said he keeps showing up despite the cold because he worries about the future of younger generations. "We old people have had our time. I'm here because I'm worried about the young people who come after us," he said. "It's frustrating to see citizens who have no interest in what's happening in this country."
Lee said the site must be maintained even after the ballots and ballot boxes were removed. "The special prosecutor did not keep its promises. They were in a rush to box everything up without determining whether the ballots were legitimate, defective or fake," he said. "Our slogan is 'fraudulent election — re-election — same-day voting — manual count.' Shouldn't we keep fighting here until that is achieved?"
A participant surnamed Kim, 80, who said he joined the protest on June 4, also said it was hard to leave. Kim said that when he first passed by and saw the demonstration, he wondered whether it could amount to anything — but decided to join thinking he could at least contribute in some small way.
Kim said simply maintaining a presence at the site carries meaning in itself. "If this place disappears and no one comes, it would be the same as acknowledging that the fraudulent election at Olympic Park was properly wrapped up," Kim said. "If you have the will, you can come with a dosirak and make it work."
A man who introduced himself as the "Olympic Park fixer" said that now that the ballots and ballot boxes have been removed, the physical items themselves are no longer the point. "This place has become sacred ground," he said. "We're not here because someone told us to come, and we won't leave because someone tells us to go."
Participants are each staying for their own reasons, but no collective decision has been reached on how long the protest will continue. Lee said the group had not yet consolidated its position on next steps. "We haven't put our heads together yet," he said. "I think we'll see out the deadline — the day after tomorrow — and then talk about what comes next."
An official from the Korea Sports Promotion Foundation said the body was leaving open the possibility that structures would not be cleared by Thursday. "We are discussing what measures to take if the tents and other installations are not removed by the deadline," the official said.
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