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🇹🇼 Taiwan /Elections & Politics

South Korean Elections Disrupted by Ballot Shortages; Opposition Demands Halt to Counting

From Liberty Times · () Chinese

Translated from Chinese, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • South Korean local elections faced controversy as 14 polling stations in Seoul ran out of ballots.
  • The main opposition People Power Party demanded an immediate halt to vote counting.
  • The ruling Democratic Party argued against stopping the count, citing that many votes had already been cast.

South Korea's local elections were marred by controversy on Wednesday, with 14 polling stations in Seoul experiencing a shortage of ballots, leading to extended voting times and a dispute over the counting process.

The Seoul mayoral election has been polluted, and a polluted election is invalid.

— Jang Dong-hyukThe opposition leader's statement on the ballot shortage controversy.

The issue arose when several polling stations, including 12 in Songpa District and one each in Gangnam and Gwangjin Districts, ran out of voting papers. This led to voters being unable to cast their ballots even as the scheduled end of voting approached, and in some cases, voting continued late into the night.

Jang Dong-hyuk, leader of the main opposition People Power Party, called for an immediate halt to the vote count, declaring the Seoul mayoral election "polluted" and therefore invalid. He insisted that the election must be re-held based on the findings of a truth investigation, arguing that the ballot shortage infringed upon voters' rights.

We must immediately stop the vote count until the truth is ascertained, and based on the results of the truth investigation, the Seoul mayoral election must be re-held.

— Jang Dong-hyukThe opposition's demand for a new election.

Conversely, Cho Seung-rae, head of the crisis management team for the ruling Democratic Party, expressed regret for the central election management committee's "oversight in ballot management." While acknowledging the seriousness of the lapse, he argued against suspending the count, pointing out that a significant number of Seoul citizens had already voted and that ballots were being transferred to counting stations according to procedure.

This Seoul election has seriously infringed upon the voting rights and the right to participate in politics of the voters.

— Jang Dong-hyukThe opposition's view on the impact of the ballot shortage.

Protests erupted outside polling stations, with over 100 people gathering at one location in Jamsil, where voting had not concluded by 11 p.m. Some individuals attempted to block the transport of ballot boxes, and verbal altercations occurred. The Central Election Management Committee requested police support for the secure transfer of ballot boxes and announced an emergency meeting to address the situation.

For the oversight in ballot management by the Central Election Management Committee, we deeply regret it.

— Cho Seung-raeThe ruling party's acknowledgment of the election management error.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Liberty Times in Chinese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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