Gov′t, ruling party vow stern response against illegal acts by ballot protesters

▲ Protesters block main opposition People Power Party and sports officials from entering the SK Olympic Handball Gymnasium, used as a vote-counting facility, in Seoul's Songpa Ward on June 16, 2026, over an unprecedented shortage of ballot papers that disrupted voting in the June 3 local elections at 26 polling stations. (Yonhap)

govt-ballot protest

Gov't, ruling party vow stern response against illegal acts by ballot protesters

SEOUL, June 17 (Yonhap) -- The government and the ruling party on Wednesday reaffirmed that illegal acts in protests over ballot shortages in this month's local elections will not be tolerated, vowing a stern response against such acts.

The message came as protesters in Seoul's southern district of Jamsil have been continuing to demand a rerun of the June 3 mayoral and gubernatorial elections marred by unprecedented ballot shortages that led to the suspension of voting at 26 polling stations.

While taking a stern stance toward illegal acts, the government and the ruling Democratic Party (DP) appeared to be opting for a "two-track" stance in response to young voters who have demanded a peaceful resolution to the issue.

Earlier this week, President Lee Jae Myung wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that he has instructed police to sternly investigate protesters who block civilians and that the protesters should refrain from infringing upon the rights of others in the process of expressing their thoughts.

DP spokesperson Park Hae-cheol echoed the call on Wednesday, saying violent actions occurring at some sites will "never be tolerated."

"This is clearly an illegal act that goes beyond freedom of expression. The right to raise an issue and acts of infringing upon other people's freedom should be clearly differentiated," Park said.

At the same time, the Office for Government Policy Coordination held a public debate earlier in the day to discuss ways to reform the national election watchdog, and listen to the opinions of young people and experts.

Meanwhile, a survey on a potential rerun showed that 51 percent of the respondents thought a rerun is excessive, given the cost and social confusion it may cause, while 45.6 percent said a rerun should take place.

The survey, commissioned by EKN and conducted by Realmeter from Monday through Tuesday on 1,011 people aged 18 and older, had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level.

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