Ballot shortage sparks calls for election rerun in South Korea

Thousands of South Koreans gathered in Seoul on Saturday evening to demand a rerun of recent local and regional elections, citing a critical shortage of ballots. The protests, which continued into Sunday morning, saw up to 10,000 demonstrators at an indoor handball arena in Seoul where votes from the capital were being tallied.

Protesters, many of them young adults in their 20s and 30s, waved South Korean flags outside the SK Olympic Handball Stadium, chanting calls for a new election. The National Election Commission confirmed that more than 30 polling stations in Seoul were affected by the ballot shortage. "Regardless of political affiliation, the inability to vote is an infringement of our rights in a free democracy," stated Seo Jin-hee, one of the demonstrators.

The National Election Commission explained that ballots were printed for only 50% of eligible voters, based on the assumption that many would be unused, as observed in previous elections. This decision meant that numerous voters were unable to cast their ballots. The controversy led to the resignation of Rho Tae-ak, the chairman of the National Election Commission, on Friday amid public criticism.

In one instance in Seoul, protesters blocked authorities for 35 hours from removing ballot boxes for counting. While President Lee Jae-myung's liberal party won the majority of seats in the local and regional elections held nationwide on Wednesday, the ruling party failed to secure the mayoral post in Seoul.