Protests outside a Seoul vote-counting facility entered their fifth day Tuesday over ballot shortages that disrupted last week's local elections, as a court ordered evidence preservation and the new assembly speaker pledged a swift parliamentary response.
About 200 protesters gathered Tuesday morning outside the SK Olympic Handball Gymnasium in Songpa Ward, down from 2,000 the previous afternoon. Tens of thousands had rallied over the weekend to demand a rerun and block officials from removing ballot boxes. The Seoul Eastern District Court granted a petition by Reform Party supreme council member Kim Jung-chul and ordered preservation of four items from the No. 2 polling station in Jamsil 7 neighborhood, including ballot boxes, surveillance footage and National Election Commission text messages. National Assembly Speaker Cho Jeong-sik told presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik that the incident was grave and the legislature would act thoroughly and promptly. Both the ruling and main opposition parties submitted separate requests for a parliamentary investigation. Police are questioning NEC officials, while the minor New Reform Party said it intends to petition for partial invalidation of results. The blockade has halted operations of sports bodies at the venue.
