South Korea election commission refuses to halt vote count amid ballot shortage

South Korea's National Election Commission has declared it cannot halt the ongoing vote count, despite calls from the People Power Party and others following a ballot shortage. The commission stated that stopping the current count is impossible and that ballot boxes from affected polling stations must be transported for counting to ensure the votes of those who cast ballots are considered.

“

It is impossible to halt the current vote count, and the ballot boxes from the relevant polling stations must be transported to the counting centers to confirm the intentions of the voters.

Furthermore, the commission ruled that the ballot shortage does not meet the legal criteria for postponing the election or holding a new one. This decision comes after an emergency meeting convened by the commission late Tuesday to address the crisis.

“

This incident, which occurred due to a shortage of ballots at some polling stations on election day, does not fall under the grounds for postponement or re-election as stipulated by the Public Official Election Act.

Following the conclusion of the vote count, the National Election Commission has committed to conducting a thorough investigation into the incident. The commission pledged to make every effort to establish the facts and implement measures to prevent similar issues from occurring in future elections.

“

After the vote count is completed, the National Election Commission will immediately do its utmost to investigate the truth of this matter and prepare measures to prevent its recurrence.