20s and 30s Gather Again: Food Trucks, Coffee Vans, and Medical Booths Appear

[Anchor]

As the second weekend of protests begins, people in their 20s and 30s are gathering once again in front of the ballot counting station at Olympic Park in Seoul. Let’s go straight to the scene.

Reporter Jo Min-ki, what is the situation like there?

[Reporter]

Yes, unlike the weekdays when the crowd consisted mostly of older individuals, the protest site here is seeing a steady influx of people in their 20s and 30s, including couples and families, as the weekend begins.

While the unofficial police estimate for the number of protesters at 5:30 p.m. last Saturday was around 10,000, the count was approximately 8,000 as of 5:00 p.m. today (June 13), and it increased to 12,000 as of 7:00 p.m. just a while ago.

[Kwon Woo-yeon / Gangnam-gu, Seoul: The weather is hot, but I came out here with my children for the voting rights of the future generation.]

[Choi Sang-pil / Chinese food truck owner: I’ve prepared to serve 1,500 to 2,000 bowls (for free), as much as I can. I came here because I felt ashamed as a member of the older generation. I wanted to do something to help.]

As the protest enters its ninth day and becomes prolonged, food trucks, coffee vans, and medical volunteer booths have appeared at the site.

The police have deployed approximately 400 officers from seven riot police units to manage the scene.

While the protesters' slogan last weekend focused solely on calling for a re-election rather than claiming election fraud, today the message appeared unified under the call for "Election Fraud, Re-election."

There have been no physical clashes today. With temperatures exceeding 30°C (86°F), participants have been seeking shade, laying out mats, or drinking ice water provided by volunteers to escape the heat.

[Anchor]

I see many citizens waving the Taegeukgi (Korean national flag) in the background. There have been several incidents reported recently; how is the investigation progressing regarding those matters?

[Reporter]

Yes, the police have begun tracking down protesters who illegally searched the belongings of the women's junior handball national team and detained a journalist yesterday.

Yesterday, police identified one woman involved in the handball team incident, but it is reported that no further identities have been confirmed yet.

Meanwhile, the joint investigation team of the prosecution and police, which is looking into the ballot paper shortage, is conducting a search and seizure of the National Election Commission's servers for the third consecutive day.

The investigation team stated that the volume of data is so vast that the search and seizure could continue throughout the weekend.

The joint investigation team, currently focused on analyzing the seized materials, plans to begin summoning relevant individuals for questioning starting next week.

(Video reporting: Jo Chang-hyun, Video editing: Yoon Tae-ho)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.