Furor over ballot shortage in Korea veers back into unfounded claims of stolen elections

What began as protests at polling stations in Seoul after a ballot shortage meant some voters weren’t able to exercise their right to vote in the June 3 local elections entered their fourth day on Monday. But while protesters on Sunday had distanced themselves from conspiracy theories about the election being stolen by focusing their messaging on the need for a revote, by Monday the tone had changed drastically.

Thousands of protestors gathered in front of the handball arena in Seoul’s Olympic Park on Monday, a decrease from the 10,000-or-so that had occupied the space the day before. However, the atmosphere at the rally itself was far more heated.

A handwritten poster that had read “Please only call for a revote, condemn the infringement of voting rights, and sing the Korean national anthem,” had been defaced with a large X on top of “only,” and phrases such as “stolen election” and “US flags welcome” had been scrawled in the margins.

Chants of “Put the stolen election to a revote!” could be heard echoing through the area.

“A revote is exactly what the Democrats want, which is frustrating. We need to call it like it is: election fraud,” said a woman in her 30s at the rally who was waving the flags of both South Korea and the US.

“The media is already framing us as being part of the far-right,” another protester said, growing heated, “so why should we even try to appease centrists?”

The sudden change in rhetoric followed days of avoiding overt allegations of a stolen election, a stance that appeared to be an effort to appeal to a broader audience. The shift comes as some supporters argue that efforts to dismiss claims of electoral fraud were driven by liberal organizations, including the Korean University Progressive Union.

Some have accused the student union of attempting to manipulate opinion at the protests to separate those who genuinely believe that the elections were stolen from those who staged protests at polling stations over infringements of voting rights.

The area surrounding Monday’s protests was dotted with handwritten signs, some warning protesters (“Beware the Korean University Progressive Union’s attempts to silence those who claim election fraud!”) and others encouraging them (“Nothing is stopping you from condemning election fraud!”).

Impossible to miss were signs with claims pushed by the far-right “Yoon Again” movement to bring back the jailed former president. “Who sent the martial law troops to the National Election Commission? Yoon Suk-yeol did!” one read.

A number of protestors attempted to block employees of the Korean