Seoul Election Commission Admits Ballot Shortage, Apologizes

The National Election Commission in South Korea has admitted to a shortage of ballots at 12 polling stations across three districts in Seoul during the local elections on June 3. The issue affected stations in Songpa, Gangnam, and Gwangjin districts.

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We have caused inconvenience and concern to many citizens in some areas. We deeply apologize for damaging the credibility of the Election Commission.

Heo Cheol-hoon, the commission's secretary-general, apologized to the public for the inconvenience and the damage to the commission's credibility. He stated that the commission acted immediately upon recognizing the problem, dispatching additional ballots to the affected polling stations to ensure that those waiting could cast their votes. Heo also promised a swift investigation to provide a full explanation to the public, while confirming that vote counting would proceed as scheduled.

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As soon as we recognized the fact, we transported ballots to the polling stations that were short, and took measures so that those waiting at the closing time could vote.

However, the People Power Party, a major opposition party, decried the situation as a "total failure." The party's representative, Shin Dong-wook, who visited the commission, expressed concerns about the ongoing vote count under these circumstances. He questioned the commission's ability to provide accurate figures on the number of ballots distributed and the time of the shortage.

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It is a total failure.