Protests Demand Election Rerun Amid Ballot Shortage; US Professor Claims Fraud
Translated from Korean, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
At a glance
- Protests demanding a rerun of the June 3 local elections continued for the 23rd day in Seoul, citing a ballot shortage.
- Demonstrators, primarily middle-aged and older, gathered at Olympic Park, chanting slogans and waving national and US flags.
- A US-based professor, accused of defaming President Lee Jae-myung, spoke at a rally, claiming election fraud is real.
Protests demanding a rerun of the June 3 local elections persisted for the 23rd day in Seoul, with demonstrators gathering at Olympic Park to protest a ballot shortage. Hundreds of citizens and conservative YouTubers assembled near gates 1-3 of the handball stadium, chanting slogans such as "Fraudulent election, rerun election" and "Count votes on election day." Many participants waved South Korean and US flags and occasionally sang the national anthem. Despite daytime temperatures reaching 32 degrees Celsius, attendees shared fans and gathered in shaded areas to escape the heat. The crowd consisted mainly of middle-aged and older individuals, though some families and people in their 20s and 30s were also present. Around 1:30 PM, Professor Moo Stan (real name Dan Hyun-myung) from Liberty University in the US, who faces defamation charges related to President Lee Jae-myung, visited the vicinity of the stadium. Professor Stan addressed a rally organized by the civic group "Prevent Election Fraud and Corruption," asserting that "election fraud is not a conspiracy theory but a reality." He also made mocking remarks about JTBC, which recently filed for receivership, calling it a "bankrupt company." Conservative YouTuber Jeon Han-gil (real name Jeon Yu-gwan) also visited the Olympic Park site around the same time. Separately, the conservative youth group "BOSS Hongdae" conducted a march and rally in the Hongik University area of Mapo-gu, Seoul, with approximately 500 participants, also demanding a rerun election.
Election fraud is not a conspiracy theory but a reality.
Originally published by Dong-A Ilbo in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.