(2nd LD) Special counsel launches inspection of local election ballots stored at Seoul handball arena

SEOUL, Oct. 28 (Yonhap) -- A special counsel team on Wednesday launched an inspe...

Yonhap NewsChae Yun-hwan2026-10-28 10:28查看原文 ↗

Special counsel Lee Tae-han (L) arrives at the Olympic Park Handball Gymnasium in southeastern Seoul on Oct. 28, 2026, to examine ballots cast during the June 3 local elections. (Yonhap)

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(ATTN: UPDATES with special counsel's remarks, more details)

SEOUL, Oct. 28 (Yonhap) -- A special counsel team on Wednesday launched an inspection of ballot papers stored at a handball arena in Seoul as part of its probe into an unprecedented shortage of ballots during the June 3 local elections.

Special counsel Lee Tae-han's team entered the Olympic Park Handball Gymnasium in southeastern Seoul to examine 2.47 million ballots, surveillance camera footage and other material, and check for possible irregularities in connection with the elections.

The gymnasium was used as a vote counting center during the elections and houses ballots cast in Seoul's southeastern Songpa Ward as protesters have blocked their removal amid calls for accountability and a rerun of the elections.

The shortages, reported at multiple polling stations nationwide, sparked a major public outcry after voting was disrupted at some stations and some voters were forced to turn back without casting their ballots.

"(We) hope that this inspection and the currently ongoing investigation serve as an opportunity to resolve the current problems in election management and regain the people's trust," Lee said.

Special counsel Lee Tae-han (L) arrives at the Olympic Park Handball Gymnasium in southeastern Seoul on Oct. 28, 2026, to examine ballots cast during the June 3 local elections. (Yonhap)

He said the inspection will mainly focus on examining the security camera footage to check for possible intrusions at the site, verifying the number of ballots and checking for possible hacking of ballot sorting machines.

Lee's team has said the examination will not serve as a recount of the votes and is aimed at determining whether there had been any acts of tampering or forgery.

About 500 officials from the National Election Commission will support the team in the effort, which is expected to end around midnight.

The examination will take place in the presence of a team of observers chosen by the National Assembly, as well as lawmakers and journalists, considering the high level of public interest.

About 300 protesters gathered around the site, with police deploying some 3,000 officers for crowd control. No physical clashes were reported.

Lee's team was launched last month to investigate the election watchdog's management of ballot papers, suspected tampering of voter turnout data and other allegations of misconduct.

Police officers secure the entrance to the Olympic Park Handball Gymnasium in southeastern Seoul on Oct. 28, 2026, ahead of a special counsel team's inspection of ballots cast during the June 3 local elections. (Yonhap)

yunhwanchae@yna.co.kr (END)

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（注意：更新内容包括特别检察官的讲话及更多细节）

首尔，10 月 28 日（韩联社）——周三，一个特别检察官小组对首尔一家手球馆内储存的选票展开检查，这是其对 6 月 3 日地方选举中前所未有的选票短缺事件进行调查的一部分。

特别检察官李泰汉的团队进入首尔东南部的奥林匹克公园手球体育馆，检查了247万张选票、监控录像和其他材料，并核查了与选举有关的可能违规行为。

在选举期间，该体育馆被用作计票中心，存放着首尔东南部松坡区投出的选票。抗议者阻止了选票的移除，他们要求追究责任并重新举行选举。

据报道，全国多个投票站出现物资短缺，导致一些投票站投票中断，一些选民被迫放弃投票，引发了公众的强烈抗议。

李说：“我们希望这次检查和目前正在进行的调查能够成为一个契机，解决选举管理中存在的问题，并重新赢得人民的信任。”