'Blockade Protests' Continue; Joint Investigation Team Reconstructing Election Day Events

[Anchor]

Protests blockading the Jamsil vote-counting station continue. The joint prosecution and police investigation team is accelerating its probe by reconstructing the events of the local election day.

Reporter Yun Nara has the story.

[Reporter]

Even over the weekend, Jamsil Park remained crowded with protesters demonstrating against the shortage of ballots and the National Election Commission's (NEC) mismanagement of the local election.

Participants were diverse, ranging from those in their 20s and 30s to middle-aged and older individuals who brought their children or pets.

At the Korea National Sport University next to the park, a citizen forum on NEC reform was held, attended by Prime Minister Kim Min-seok.

At the forum, Prime Minister Kim stated that while the independence of the NEC should be respected, a "one-point constitutional amendment" could be pursued to allow for external oversight. However, he also reiterated the government's stance that the blockade of the vote-counting station is illegal.

[Kim Min-seok/Prime Minister: Faced with the issue of the NEC's mismanagement, it has sparked public outrage. On the other hand, in the process of overcoming this, illegal deviations that block the daily activities (of citizens) under the guise of democracy are also taking place.]

As the protests have continued for nearly 20 days, sports organizations that had offices at the stadium are now working from temporary offices nearby.

With the World Finswimming Championships set to begin in Incheon today (June 22), the Korea Finswimming Association stated that they had to reorder athlete uniforms and judging attire because they could not access their office.

The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee is even considering signing contracts for new office spaces.

The investigation by the joint prosecution and police team has also continued.

It was revealed that former National Election Commission Chairperson Noh Tae-ak first received a report regarding the ballot shortage on the day of the June 3 local election at 5:20 PM, just 40 minutes before voting closed. The joint investigation team plans to focus on identifying those responsible by analyzing materials seized from the National Election Commission and the Seoul Metropolitan Election Commission, as well as reconstructing the events of the local election day.

(Reported by Choi Dae-woong and Yang Hyun-chul | Video edited by Jung Yong-hwa)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.