Ballot Paper Shortage Sparks Protests in South Korea's Local Elections

A shortage of ballot papers in South Korea's local elections has sparked public anger and led to protests, prompting the National Election Commission (NEC) to launch an investigation.

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There were hundreds of people waiting

Voters in several polling stations across the country experienced significant delays or were turned away entirely as ballot papers ran out amid unexpectedly high turnout. In Seoul's Songpa district, a traditionally conservative stronghold, residents waited for hours, with some reporting that only 50 new ballot papers arrived after a long wait for hundreds of people.

President Lee Jae Myung expressed "deep regret" over the shortages, emphasizing that citizens' voting rights must be protected and vowing to hold those responsible accountable. Protesters, identifying as far-right supporters, attempted to block ballot boxes in Songpa, demanding a full revote and claiming the election was "rigged."

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I was told to wait 30 minutes, but they never came, and I ended up going home without voting. I was so frustrated, this shouldn’t happen in this day and age.

While the NEC has apologized for the "shoddy election management," they maintain that the incidents do not provide grounds for delaying the election or conducting a rerun. Both the ruling Democratic Party and the conservative opposition People Power Party have criticized the NEC's handling of the election, with the opposition calling the shortages a "serious breach of voting rights."

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rigged election