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🇰🇷 South Korea /Elections & Politics

Election Commission Head Resigns Over Ballot Shortage, Calls for Overhaul

From Hankyoreh · () Korean

Translated from Korean, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • The head of South Korea's election commission resigned and apologized following a shortage of ballots in the recent local elections.
  • The commission's explanation for the shortage, citing a need to prevent leftover ballots from fueling conspiracy theories, has been widely criticized as absurd.
  • Both ruling and opposition parties are pushing for a parliamentary investigation into the incident, with calls for a significant reform or even dissolution of the election commission.

The head of South Korea's National Election Commission (NEC), Noh Tae-ak, has resigned and issued a public apology after a critical shortage of ballots occurred during the recent June 3 local elections. The incident has sparked outrage, with critics calling it a "national disruption" that undermines trust in the democratic process.

An unforgivable event that infringed upon the precious right to vote occurred.

— Noh Tae-akStatement by the NEC Chairman apologizing for the ballot shortage.

Noh stated, "An unforgivable event that infringed upon the precious right to vote occurred." However, the NEC's explanation for the shortage has been met with disbelief. The Seoul NEC reportedly received a warning about a potential ballot shortage in Songpa-gu as early as 11:40 AM on election day but took no action. An NEC official offered a weak excuse, suggesting a lack of on-site staff at the Songpa-gu election office prevented an adequate response.

This "incompetence" is particularly galling given the NEC's previous "basket voting" controversy during the 2022 presidential election concerning COVID-19-infected voters. Despite this, the NEC maintained a print run of only 50% of the estimated voter turnout to avoid leftover ballots, a decision that proved disastrous. Ironically, Songpa-gu, the district with the most severe shortage, reportedly had over 40,000 ballots left over due to a policy of retaining 10% of ballots at each polling station to prevent "conspiracy theories" about unused ballots.

It is not something that can be overlooked. We will also push for a parliamentary investigation.

— Han Byung-doDemocratic Party floor leader on pursuing a parliamentary investigation into the ballot shortage.

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo has vowed to pursue a thorough investigation, possibly through a parliamentary inquiry or special prosecutor, to hold those responsible accountable. Both the People Power Party and the Democratic Party have announced their intention to push for a parliamentary investigation. Critics suggest that the NEC's structure, with its dual roles held by Supreme Court justices and chief judges, contributes to a lack of professional expertise in election management, leading to repeated failures. Calls for a radical reform, potentially including the dissolution of the NEC, are growing.

The NEC made a mistake it should never have made. It risks legitimizing violence based on conspiracy theories seen in past incidents.

— Jeon Sang-jinSociology professor at Sogang University commenting on the NEC's failure and its potential consequences.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Hankyoreh in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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