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SEOUL, June 4 (Yonhap) — The election watchdog said Thursday a shortage of ballots in parts of Seoul during the previous day’s local elections does not constitute grounds for postponing the election or conducting a revote under the election law.
The National Election Commission (NEC) made the remarks after holding an emergency meeting early in the day, as a shortage of ballots at some polling stations in Seoul, mostly from Songpa Ward, prompted the temporary suspension of voting in the local elections.
The main opposition People Power Party (PPP) strongly protested the incident, calling for halting vote counting and holding a reelection.
The NEC determined the shortage did not fall under the causes for postponing an election or carrying out a reelection under the Public Official Election Act, adding that it would be impossible to halt vote counting.
Roh Tae-ak, chairperson of the National Election Commission (NEC), leaves an emergency meeting at the NEC in Gwacheon, just south of Seoul, on June 4, 2026. (Yonhap)
A shortage of ballots was reported at 14 polling stations in parts of Seoul, — Songpa Ward, Gangnam Ward and Gwangjin Ward, forcing voters to wait until well past 6 p.m., the official closing time for voting, according to the NEC.
NEC Secretary General Heo Cheol-hoon apologized in a televised press briefing Wednesday night for causing confusion and concerns, saying the election watchdog was taking the issue “very seriously.”
The NEC delivered additional ballots to the affected polling stations and notified voters in line that they can cast their ballots even after 6 p.m., according to Heo.
A group of protestors gathered at one of the polling stations that experienced the ballot shortage in southeastern Seoul, claiming that the NEC committed election fraud, and blocking it from transporting ballot boxes to a vote counting station.
The NEC said two ballot boxes, containing a total of around 2,000 ballots, have yet to leave the No. 2 polling station in the Jamsil 7 neighborhood, adding it would not immediately transport them due to concerns of physical clashes.
As of 7 a.m., around 200 protestors had remained at the polling station after some 300 gathered the previous night. Police deployed up to around 470 officers early Thursday to prevent potential clashes.
Protestors are gathered outside a polling station in southeastern Seoul on June 4, 2026, after the polling station experienced a shortage of ballots for the June 3 local elections. (Yonhap)
yunhwanchae@yna.co.kr
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