Unused ballots deepen election management controversy

The Songpa District Election Commission in Seoul, which was at the center of an unprecedented ballot shortage during South Korea’s June 3 local elections, reportedly failed to distribute all available ballots to polling stations despite having sufficient supplies on hand. The incident has drawn criticism that lax oversight undermined public confidence in the electoral process.

According to the National Election Commission on June 4, the Songpa District Election Commission printed ballots equal to 50% of the district’s 565,638 registered voters ahead of Election Day. Rather than allocating all of them to polling stations, officials held some back as reserves in case of shortages. But as voter turnout climbed, several polling stations began running out of ballots from around 1 p.m. on June 3, forcing voters to wait. The reserve ballots, however, were not delivered to affected polling stations in time.

The National Election Commission also failed to accurately track where the shortages had occurred. Although voters in Incheon and Gyeonggi Province reported ballot shortages on June 3, the commission said during a public apology later that day that only 14 polling stations in Seoul had been affected. The Incheon Election Commission later acknowledged that two polling stations in the city had also run short of ballots and issued an apology.

The commission’s lackluster response added to the confusion. At Polling Station No. 2 in Jamsil 7-dong, Songpa District, demonstrators alleging election fraud blocked the removal of ballot boxes, resulting in a standoff that continued for a second day.

President Lee Jae-myung expressed strong regret over the incident on June 4. “It is deeply regrettable that shortcomings difficult to understand emerged in election administration, where rigorous management is required above all else,” Lee said. “If responsibility lies anywhere, it must be clearly determined and those accountable must be held responsible.”


이지운 기자 easy@donga.com