Protests, Assaults, and Confusion Plague Polling Stations in Gyeonggi and Incheon

South Korea's local elections on June 3 were marred by a series of disturbances and confusion at polling stations across Gyeonggi and Incheon provinces. Reports ranged from voter protests over ballot issues to allegations of fraudulent voting and even physical assault.

In Gimpo, a woman in her 60s was arrested for causing a disturbance and assaulting an election worker. She allegedly became agitated when her preferred candidate was not listed on the ballot and proceeded to cause a commotion, leading to her arrest for violating the Public Official Election Act.

Allegations of fraudulent voting also surfaced. In Suwon, police investigated a report that an election worker instructed an elderly voter to cast a ballot for a specific candidate. Another incident in Gwangju involved a man claiming he received fewer ballots than he should have, though an electronic check confirmed all ballots were issued, classifying it as a mistaken report.

Further complications arose in Goyang, where polling stations reportedly proceeded without election observers recommended by the People Power Party. The party cited a failure to submit the names of 256 observers within the deadline, which election officials refused to accept late. In Incheon, some voters who had already cast their ballots returned to the polling stations requesting to re-vote, citing concerns about receiving insufficient ballots, though election officials stated re-voting was not possible.