Demonstrators in Seoul continued their second day of protests on Saturday, calling for local elections to be held again following voting problems earlier in the week.
An estimated 10,000 people assembled at the SK Olympic Handball Stadium by 5:30 p.m. local time, according to Yonhap News Agency, which cited unofficial police figures. The stadium served as a vote-counting location for Wednesday’s municipal and local assembly elections.
Reuters was unable to immediately verify the crowd size estimates with representatives from Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency.
The demonstrations were sparked by insufficient ballot supplies that blocked some qualified voters from participating nationwide, leading to the National Election Commission chief’s resignation.
Election officials reported that 50 out of 14,300 voting locations exhausted their ballot supply, while 22 additional sites had to halt voting temporarily due to delayed deliveries.
In a televised address, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon called the ballot problems unacceptable and a breach of voting rights. He called for dissolving the election commission and launching a special prosecutor investigation.
Live broadcasts from YTN and Yonhap News showed demonstrators, including conservative YouTubers, shouting demands for an “election re-run,” performing the national anthem, and displaying South Korean flags.
Several protesters positioned themselves at the stadium entrance gates, preventing National Election Commission staff from departing.
The commission workers, who had remained inside the facility since Friday morning, finally managed to leave on Saturday, according to Yonhap.
The election commission has not yet responded to inquiries about their staff’s departure from the site.
