▲ Morse Tan (C), a Korean American scholar, speaks during a press conference outside the Olympic Park Handball Gymnasium in southern Seoul on June 24, 2026. (Yonhap)

ballot shortage-protest

Protests over ballot shortage continue for 20th day

SEOUL, June 24 (Yonhap) -- Protests demanding a rerun of the June 3 local elections marred by ballot shortages continued for the 20th day Wednesday.

Protesters chanted slogans claiming election fraud outside the Olympic Park Handball Gymnasium in southern Seoul, which served as a ballot counting site.

The protests began June 5, two days after ballot shortages temporarily suspended voting at 26 polling stations across the nation. Protesters have blockaded the stadium in a bid to prevent the removal of ballot boxes inside.

While the election watchdog has apologized for the ballot shortages, it says they do not warrant a rerun under the election law. A joint team of police investigators and prosecutors has been investigating the shortages.

As protesters continued to rally, Morse Tan, a Korean American scholar known for making claims of election fraud in South Korea, held a press conference outside the stadium.

Tan, who faces a police probe over allegations of defaming President Lee Jae Myung, claimed that the president should resign to take responsibility over what he claimed was election fraud.

Tan added that he was willing to undergo police questioning after he failed to appear for a scheduled questioning session earlier in the day.

Tan made claims at a press conference in the United States last year that Lee was involved in a murder case as a teenager and had been sent to a juvenile detention center for the crime.

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