South Korea Local Elections: Over 4,700 Ballots Short, Opposition Demands Special Counsel

(Central News Agency, Seoul, June 8, Combined Foreign Reports) A ballot shortage controversy has erupted following South Korea's June 3 local elections. Opposition lawmakers, citing a report from the election management agency, stated that approximately 4,700 ballots were missing nationwide on election day. Hundreds of protesters gathered outside a counting station in Seoul for the fourth consecutive day on June 8, demanding a re-election.

According to Yonhap News Agency, based on unofficial police estimates, about 950 protesters surrounded the SK Olympic Handball Gymnasium in Seoul's Songpa district in the morning, blocking the venue's entrances and exits to prevent ballot boxes from being moved. The protesters alleged electoral fraud and demanded a new election.

However, the number of protesters was significantly lower compared to the approximately 8,000 people who had gathered around midnight on June 7. Police deployed about 350 officers at the scene to prevent potential clashes.

Regarding the investigation into the ballot shortage, police have obtained chat room records from election officials' mobile phones and have summoned election workers and voters who were unable to cast their ballots due to the shortage for questioning.

Additionally, police have summoned a member of a civic group for investigation. This group had previously filed a complaint against multiple senior officials of the National Election Commission (NEC), accusing them of dereliction of duty in connection with the ballot shortage.

South Korean police plan to further investigate whether the election authorities properly adhered to ballot distribution standards. President Lee Jae-myung expressed deep regret over the ballot shortage on June 7 and ordered a comprehensive joint investigation by the prosecution and police.

Voting for the 9th local councilor, local government head, and National Assembly by-elections took place nationwide on June 3. According to the NEC, a total of 67 polling stations nationwide received additional ballot deliveries that day, and voting was temporarily suspended at 22 stations due to ballot shortages.

South Korean media reported that on election day, some polling stations in Seoul ran out of ballots, affecting voters in 12 locations in Songpa-gu's Jamsil-dong, one in Gangnam-gu, and one in Gwangjin-gu.

Voting was suspended at the 2nd polling station in Jamsil 7-dong. Around 10 PM, citizens, including conservative influencers, blocked the polling station. The presidential office, Cheong Wa Dae, stated on June 4 that the NEC should take responsibility for the incident. NEC Chairman Noh Tae-ak apologized and resigned on June 5, but the controversy has not subsided, with the opposition demanding a re-election.

According to the Dong-A Ilbo, opposition People Power Party lawmaker Kim Min-jeong obtained an NEC report titled "Issues with Ballot Shortages and Current Status," which stated that a cumulative total of 4,726 ballots were short on election day, and all affected polling stations were concentrated in the Seoul area.

Lawmaker Kim criticized the incident as not a simple operational error but a major failure in election management, emphasizing the need for a special counsel to thoroughly investigate every step of the ballot allocation and decision-making process.

Furthermore, netizens uploaded photos and videos from the scene, alleging that when the NEC discovered the ballot shortage and urgently transported replacement ballots, they used ordinary white plastic shopping bags and zipper bags to carry blank ballots into polling stations, raising concerns that the ballots could have been swapped or tampered with during transport.

At the Seoul Olympic Park counting station, where a severe standoff occurred, protesters pasted posters on the walls and pillars of the building, accusing the "South Korean police of secretly signing a memorandum with the Chinese public security authorities," and criticizing the police for clearing protesters and allowing ballot boxes to be moved out in the early hours of June 5, claiming they were "helping China cover up evidence of election rigging."

The South Korean government has not yet responded to these rumors. (Editor: Chen Yiwei / Proofreader: Zhou Yongjie) 1150608