An unprecedented incident occurred in the June 3 nationwide local elections, with voting temporarily suspended at some polling stations due to ballot shortages. The National Election Commission (NEC) acknowledged its inadequate preparation in the face of higher-than-expected turnout and issued a public apology, while the People Power Party demanded a halt to vote counting and a re-election, claiming the fairness of the election had been compromised.
On the 3rd, voting was suspended at some polling stations in Seoul's Songpa, Gangnam, and Gwangjin districts after ballots ran out. The NEC belatedly secured and supplied additional ballots, and to accommodate voters who had been unable to cast their votes due to the shortage, voting hours were extended until 10 p.m. at some polling stations, including in Jamsil 7-dong, Songpa District.
As the situation escalated, Heo Cheol-hoon, Secretary General of the NEC, held an emergency press conference and said, "We deeply apologize and acknowledge our responsibility for inconveniencing citizens who came to polling stations to exercise their precious sovereignty, and for damaging public trust in fair election management."
The People Power Party strongly took issue with the ballot shortage and raised objections to the election results. Jang Dong-hyuk, leader of the People Power Party, said, "The fairness of voting has already been compromised by an election in which voters' right to vote and right to political participation were seriously infringed upon," adding, "Vote counting must be halted until the truth is uncovered, and depending on the investigation results, the Seoul mayoral election must be held again."
