Ballot boxes at a polling station in Jamsil-dong, Songpa-gu, southern Seoul, are being taken to be counted on Friday, after protestors had blocked the election authorities from accessing the boxes since Wednesday evening. (Yonhap) South Korean police on Friday dispersed hundreds of demonstrators at a polling station in southern Seoul who had blocked access to ballot boxes to protest the ballot shortage during Wednesday's local elections.Mobile police units were dispatched at around 7:30 a.m. to Jamsil-dong, Songpa-gu, southern Seoul, where citizens had been at a stand-off with authorities since Wednesday evening. The number of protestors reached as high as 1,400, according to police estimates shared at 11 p.m. Thursday.Police forced entry at around 8:51 a.m. to retrieve the two ballot boxes held there, immediately sending them to the National Election Commission for counting. The ballot boxes held around 2,000 votes for the Seoul mayoral election.Police notified protesters that any violence against officers or unlawful detainment of election personnel can be punished by law, but the warnings had little effect. Officials of the NEC, officials of the Songpa-gu district office, and civilian observers had been held at the polling station since Wednesday.One district official fell ill on Thursday evening and had to be taken to a hospital.The police raid on Friday took place after a 35-hour standoff between the police and protestors in Jamsil, many of whom were identified as supporters of the conservative bloc. After it was reported that some voters were unable to vote due to ballot shortages at 14 polling stations in Seoul — 17 nationwide — some citizens went to the Jamsil polling station and the NEC headquarters to demand a revote.Conservative Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon has effectively won, beating Democratic Party of Korea candidate Chong Won-o by just over 50,000 votes. However, Oh cannot officially be declared the winner until all votes have been counted.Despite the victory by the conservative candidate, protestors remained at the Jamsil polling station, saying the ballot boxes should not be allowed to be taken as they are "evidence of election rigging."The disbanded protestors raided the polling station on Friday, searching for anything the election authorities may have left behind. The protesters also reportedly planned to gather in front of the NEC headquarters in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, for a demonstration.The days-long demonstration had sparked complaints from residents, who submitted an eviction request to both the protestors and the NEC. The Jamsil polling station was located in an apartment complex, and residents submitted complaints about excessive noise from loudspeakers.High school seniors across the country took a mock exam for the November state college entrance exam on Thursday, prompting complaints from students and parents in the area.Complaints were also made about parking. The apartment complex hosting the polling station was an older one that only allowed one parking spot per household. The already packed parking lot was crowded with vehicles brought by protestors and members of the media, forcing some residents to park in the streets.