Ballot Paper Shortage at 14 Seoul Polling Stations During Local Elections; Election Commission Apologizes

(CNA correspondent Yang Qifang, Seoul, 3rd) South Korea's local elections took place today, but a controversy over a shortage of ballot papers erupted in some districts of Seoul, with some areas still unable to complete voting past 9 PM. The National Election Commission held a press conference to apologize, stating that ballot paper shortages have been confirmed at 14 polling stations.

The original voting hours for the local elections were from 6 AM to 6 PM today. However, more than 10 polling stations in Seoul's Songpa District and other areas experienced ballot paper shortages, causing voting to be temporarily suspended. Voting was extended as voters could not cast their ballots even after the official closing time.

The National Election Commission held a press conference at 9 PM to apologize. Secretary-General Heo Cheol-hoon stated, "Due to the shortage of ballot papers at some polling stations, we have caused great confusion and concern to the people. We deeply feel our responsibility for damaging public trust in fair election management and offer our sincere apologies."

Heo noted that upon learning of the situation, the commission immediately transported ballots to the affected polling stations and took measures to ensure that voters waiting at the stations could vote even after the deadline. He said, "We take this incident seriously. After the counting is complete, we will accurately determine the cause and issues behind the ballot paper shortage and formulate measures to prevent recurrence."

The National Election Commission added that ballot paper shortages have been confirmed at 14 polling stations: 12 in Songpa District, and one each in Gangnam District and Gwangjin District.

The commission explained that the number of ballot papers prepared was primarily based on voter turnout in recent elections and early voting. In Songpa District, which has 146 polling stations, the number of ballots printed was 50% of the number of voters. Because the actual number of voters in some areas was higher than expected, a shortage occurred.

As of the time of the apology press conference, the National Election Commission stated that voting procedures were still ongoing at some polling stations, and it could not yet provide an answer regarding how long the extension would last. (Editor: Zhang Zhixuan) 1150603