Ballot paper shortage hurts South Korea's reputation as model democracy: President Lee

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung declared on Monday that ballot paper shortages during last week's local elections severely damaged the country's standing as a model democracy. He acknowledged the protests questioning the election's fairness.

"It was just ridiculous," Lee said at a news conference, describing the June 3 incident where voters waited hours for ballot papers. "It was probably something that's hard for even people in a lesser developed democracy to imagine that people couldn't vote because they didn't have ballot papers. Shocking."

Thousands, many in their 20s and 30s, protested outside a Seoul ballot counting station, calling for a new election. The head of the independent National Election Commission (NEC) resigned to accept responsibility. The NEC admitted printing enough papers for only 73 percent of eligible voters based on past turnout, and some polling stations experienced delays in receiving additional supplies.

President Lee has ordered a thorough investigation, and the ruling Democratic Party plans a national inquiry. Lee suggested the NEC's guaranteed independence may have led to complacency, exposing flaws in election management. While not indicating fraud, he noted potential criminal responsibility for some individuals. The elections saw the Democratic Party perform strongly in provincial and local races, while the conservative opposition held onto the Seoul mayoralty.

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It was just ridiculous. It was probably something that's hard for even people in a lesser developed democracy to imagine that people couldn't vote because they didn't have ballot papers. Shocking.