Protest over ballot shortage in local elections continues for 4th day

Hundreds of protesters rallied for the fourth straight day Monday outside a vote-counting facility in Seoul, demanding a new election over ballot shortages during last week's local elections.

As of 11:35 a.m., approximately 1,600 protesters surrounded SK Olympic Handball Gymnasium in Songpa Ward, according to an unofficial police estimate.

The number was sharply down from the 8,000 gathered around midnight Sunday but up from the 950 tallied earlier in the morning.

The protests have continued after voting was temporarily suspended at 22 polling stations nationwide Wednesday due to a lack of ballot papers, according to the National Election Commission (NEC).

Protesters blocked the stadium's 10 entrances to prevent the removal of ballot boxes.

Members of a women's youth national handball team could be seen pleading with protesters outside the gymnasium to let them inside to retrieve equipment for a training session, which was moved to a nearby facility due to the blockade.

The team is scheduled to compete in the 25th IHF Women's U20 Handball World Championship in Jinzhong, China, later this