NEC Internal Messengers Seized as Protests Enter 10th Day

[Anchor]

We continue our coverage of the aftermath of the ballot paper shortage crisis. The joint prosecution-police investigation team has concluded its search and seizure of the National Election Commission (NEC) servers. A full-scale investigation is set to begin this week. Meanwhile, the protest in front of the Jamsil vote-counting station has entered its tenth day. We connect to our reporter on the scene.

Reporter Kim Gyu-ri, could you first update us on the status of the investigation?

[Reporter]

The joint investigation team finished its three-day search and seizure of the NEC servers yesterday (June 13) and has been accelerating the analysis of the seized materials today.

The seized items include internal NEC messenger logs and approval records. Investigators are focusing on the decision-making process and the subsequent response measures taken before and after the ballot paper shortage incident.

Based on the analysis of these materials, the joint team plans to summon NEC working-level staff as witnesses starting this week.

Meanwhile, the police are considering summoning a woman identified as having participated in the unauthorized search of the women's junior national handball team's luggage this week.

[Anchor]

I can hear many voices of citizens in the background; the protest is now in its tenth day. What is the atmosphere like on the scene today?

[Reporter]

The protest blocking the Jamsil vote-counting station has reached its tenth day today.

The number of participants is estimated to have reached tens of thousands over the weekend, with an unofficial police estimate of 19,000 people as of 10:30 p.m. last night, as more citizens in their 20s and 30s and families joined, who were not as visible during weekday protests.

[Kwon Ha-rin/Kim I-re, Suwon, Gyeonggi Province: It was not fair where it should have been. As parents, this situation is very regrettable, so we came to speak out with our children...]

[Jo Hee-cheon/Jeon Seol-hee/Jo Eun-seo/Jo Min-seo: The issues that occurred this time need to be inspected fairly and explained clearly to the public.]

Although the police have decided not to provide information on the number of protesters starting today, making it difficult to determine the exact scale, real-time data from the Seoul Metropolitan Government shows that the number exceeded 24,000 as of 5:00 p.m. However, this figure appears to include a significant number of concertgoers from a nearby K-pop venue.

Unlike last weekend, when slogans were unified around calls for a re-election, slogans alleging election fraud have been heard alongside them today, just as they were yesterday.

Furthermore, unlike last week's situation where participants were asked to carry only the Taegeukgi (South Korean flag), it is not difficult to find participants holding both the Taegeukgi and the Stars and Stripes today.

(Reported by Kim Seung-tae | Video by Lee Sang-min)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.