People Power Party Representative Jang Dong-hyeok displays clothing featuring the Taegeukgi (Korean flag) while delivering a speech at the Gimhae Citizens' Rally condemning the infringement of suffrage rights, held at Geobuk Park in Nae-dong, Gimhae, Gyeongnam, on the afternoon of the 25th. [Yonhap News] 

People Power Party Representative Jang Dong-hyeok concluded his series of outdoor protests regarding the ballot shortage crisis, which had continued since the June 3 local elections, with a final rally in Daegu on the 25th.

At approximately 5:00 p.m. that day, Representative Jang attended the "National Resolution Rally for the Restoration of Suffrage and Protection of Democracy," hosted by the party in Daegu. Taking the podium, he urged, "Let us unite all our strength to ensure we can recommend and appoint a special prosecutor who is acceptable to the people."

He continued, "The Democratic Party, which previously rejected any and all special prosecutor appointments, has now accepted one for the protection of suffrage. We have also reached an agreement on the special counsel bill to ensure that a special prosecutor cannot be appointed without the consent of the People Power Party," emphasizing, "This is all thanks to your efforts in fighting for this cause."

He added, "We must continue to raise our voices until a proper special prosecutor is appointed, until the investigation begins, so that the joint investigation headquarters can conduct a thorough probe and the courts can properly hear the roar of the people."

Representative Jang stated, "Thanks to your fight, we crossed the wall of the National Election Commission (NEC) that once seemed impenetrable, and breached the servers that were thought to be unhackable," and raised his voice, saying, "We have come this far through the sweat and tears of our patriotic citizens who have been fighting in the streets for over 10 years. Now, it is time for the National Assembly to provide an answer."

Following this, he asked the crowd, "Please raise your hand if you think we should still call this an 'insufficient election' rather than using the term 'fraudulent election,'" before leading chants of "Re-election for electoral fraud" and "Hand-counting of same-day ballots."

The event was attended by party leadership, including Supreme Council members Kim Jae-won, Kim Min-soo, Shin Dong-wook, and Cho Gwang-han, as well as Secretary-General Jeong Hee-yong. Also present were Daegu-area incumbent lawmakers, including Kim Sang-hoon, Kang Dae-sik, Kim Seung-soo, Lee In-sun, Gu Ja-geun, and Lee Jin-sook.

Notably, there appeared to be a difference in tone between Representative Jang and the other lawmakers; the latter held placards reading "Protect Suffrage" rather than "Fraudulent Election," and most of the incumbent lawmakers who spoke at the event called for "Fair Elections" or the "Protection of Suffrage" rather than using the slogan "Fraudulent Election."

Earlier that day, at approximately 1:00 p.m., Representative Jang also attended a citizens' rally in Gimhae, Gyeongnam, regarding the infringement of suffrage, though no incumbent lawmakers accompanied him there.

At the Gimhae rally, Representative Jang raised his voice, saying, "Reports are surfacing that voter turnout rates were manipulated by the NEC. If turnout can be manipulated, what is the point of verifying our IDs at the polling station? What is the point of having dozens of poll observers? What is the point of checking the results again after electronic counting?"

He further urged, "While the court issued a warrant for the NEC's servers, it dismissed the warrant for the employees' group chat rooms. We cannot trust the joint investigation headquarters or the court. We must raise our voices, take action, and continue to monitor the situation until the end."

After finishing his speech, Representative Jang led a street march for about 30 minutes, chanting, "Re-election for electoral fraud, hand-counting of same-day ballots."

Representative Jang plans to wrap up his official outdoor protest schedule regarding the ballot shortage crisis with today's events. However, it is reported that he will continue to attend the rallies at Olympic Park in Jamsil in a personal capacity.