On the 3rd, a large crowd of citizens protesting the suspension of voting are gathered in front of the Jamsil 7-dong No. 2 polling station set up inside a senior center within an apartment complex in Seoul. Kim Tae-uk Reporter

On the 3rd, the main voting day of the 6·3 local elections, a shortage of ballot papers caused voting to be suspended at 17 polling stations across the Seoul metropolitan area. At the Jamsil 7-dong No. 2 polling station in Seoul, a standoff continues between some citizens and election officials over the close of voting and the removal of the ballot box.

After voting resumed that day, the Seoul Metropolitan Election Commission declared “Voting will end by 10 p.m.”, but citizen protests over the suspension continued. As YouTubers who came after hearing about the suspension joined, by around 9:30 p.m. more than a hundred people had surrounded the polling station (senior center) set up within the complex.

They insisted, “The ballot box must absolutely not be taken out,” and said they would block its removal even after voting ended. In response, some residents protested, saying, “Are you not election-fraud theorists?”, and shouting and harsh words were exchanged between the two sides. Police moved to control the scene, but the situation remains on a knife edge.

An official from Seoul Songpa Police Station said, “We are deploying sufficient personnel to manage the site,” and added, “(Serious enough to worry about clashes) I understand it is not a serious situation.” When asked exactly how many personnel had been deployed, he added, “I cannot disclose that precisely.”