(LEAD) Special counsel team removes local election ballots from handball arena

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SEOUL, Oct. 29 (Yonhap) -- A special counsel team on Thursday moved boxes of ballot papers out of a handball arena where they had been kept since June's local elections as part of its investigation into ballot shortages on election day.

Special counsel Lee Tae-han's team removed the ballot boxes from the Olympic Park Handball Gymnasium in southeastern Seoul after conducting an on-site inspection of the 2.47 million ballots for more than 12 hours until past midnight, according to the National Election Commission (NEC), the state election watchdog.

Lee's team has been investigating an unprecedented shortage of ballots that occurred on the day of the June 3 local elections, which forced some people to turn back without casting their votes.

All 2.47 million ballots, which had been cast in the southeastern Songpa Ward, were inspected by the special counsel team and placed in some 420 boxes, of which all but 13 were taken to a storage facility managed by the NEC in the capital area, a commission official said.

This image provided by Yonhap News TV shows ballot boxes being transported from the Olympic Park Handball Gymnasium in southeastern Seoul on Oct. 29, 2026, following an inspection by a special counsel team. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

In accordance with the election law, those ballots will be stored for the duration of the elected officials' terms.

The remaining 13 boxes were taken by the special counsel team, and the ballots inside them will be inspected further based on objections raised by on-site observers. Some of them will be sent to the National Forensic Service for closer examination.

The gymnasium was used as a vote counting center during the elections, but protesters had blocked the ballots' removal since June amid calls for accountability for the shortage and a rerun of the elections.

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.

Police stand outside the Olympic Park Handball Gymnasium in southeastern Seoul on Oct. 29, 2026, after ballot boxes were removed from the arena following an inspection by a special counsel team. (Yonhap)

The handball arena had effectively been sealed by protesters since the vote count in June. Riot police were deployed to the site during Wednesday's inspection to prevent clashes, and no major incidents have been reported.

In addition to on-site observers chosen by the National Assembly, some 100 lawmakers from both the ruling and opposition parties watched the inspection. Dozens of journalists also took part.

Jang Dong-hyeok, leader of the main opposition People Power Party, staged a sit-in at the arena overnight to stop the ballot boxes from being removed.

"The NEC and the special counsel took the ballot boxes and disappeared as if they were engaging in some operation with the police and fleeing in the middle of the night," Jang told reporters. "The evidence to preserve the people's precious votes has disappeared."

Jang went on to claim the inspection revealed "numerous" instances of election fraud, citing damaged seals on ballot boxes, boxes containing ballots from other districts, and ballots of different colors or layouts.

An inspection of ballots takes place inside the Olympic Park Handball Gymnasium in southeastern Seoul on Oct. 28, 2026. (Yonhap)

hague@yna.co.kr (END)

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首尔，10 月 29 日（韩联社）——周四，一个特别检察官小组将几箱选票从手球馆搬了出来，这些选票自 6 月份的地方选举以来一直存放在那里，这是该小组对选举日选票短缺情况进行调查的一部分。

据国家选举委员会（NEC，国家选举监督机构）称，特别检察官李泰汉的团队在首尔东南部的奥林匹克公园手球体育馆对247万张选票进行了超过12个小时的现场检查，直至午夜过后，才将投票箱移走。

李的团队一直在调查6月3日地方选举当天发生的史无前例的选票短缺事件​​，该事件迫使一些人放弃投票而返回。

一位选举委员会官员表示，在东南部松坡区投出的全部 247 万张选票都经过了特别检察官小组的检查，并被放入约 420 个箱子中，其中除 13 个箱子外，其余的都被送到了首都地区由国家选举委员会管理的存储设施。

这张由韩联社提供的图片显示，2026年10月29日，在特别检察官小组检查后，投票箱正从首尔东南部的奥林匹克公园手球馆运出。（图片禁止出售）（韩联社）

根据选举法，这些选票将被保存至当选官员任期结束。

剩余的13个箱子由特别检察官小组取走，其中的选票将根据现场观察员提出的异议进行进一步检查。部分选票将被送往国家法证服务中心进行更详细的检验。

选举期间，体育馆被用作计票中心，但自 6 月以来，抗议者一直阻止选票被移走，他们呼吁对选票短缺问题追究责任并重新举行选举。

李的团队表示，此次审查不会作为重新计票，而是旨在确定是否存在任何篡改或伪造行为。

2026年10月29日，在特别检察官小组检查后，投票箱被从首尔东南部的奥林匹克公园手球馆内移走，警方在场馆外驻守。（韩联社）

自6月份计票以来，手球馆实际上已被抗议者封锁。周三的视察期间，防暴警察被部署到现场以防止冲突，目前尚未有重大事件发生。

除了国民议会选定的现场观察员外，执政党和反对党的约100名议员也观摩了此次视察。数十名记者也参与了视察。

主要反对党国民力量党领袖张东赫连夜在体育馆举行静坐示威，阻止投票箱被移走。

张告诉记者：“国家选举委员会和特别检察官拿走了投票箱，然后就消失了，好像他们和警方一起执行某种行动，在半夜逃走了。保护人民宝贵选票的证据就这样消失了。”

张先生接着声称，检查发现了“大量”选举舞弊案例，例如投票箱上的封条损坏、装有其他选区选票的投票箱，以及颜色或布局不同的选票。

2026年10月28日，在首尔东南部的奥林匹克公园手球馆内进行选票核查。（韩联社）

hague@yna.co.kr (完)

（第三项指控）对存放在首尔体育场的本地选举选票的检查工作已持续7小时。

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（新闻快讯）特别检察官搜查首尔手球馆，调查选票短缺问题

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（新闻快讯）特别检察官小组从手球场移走地方选举选票