Police received 135 reports related to a ballot shortage incident in Seoul's Songpa District during the main voting day of the 9th nationwide local elections, where some voters were unable to cast their ballots.
The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said Wednesday that a total of 135 emergency calls regarding the second polling station in Jamsil 7-dong were received between 6 p.m. the previous day and 5 a.m. that morning.
According to The Seoul Economic Daily's reporting, beginning early in the afternoon the previous day, voters at several polling stations in Seoul's Songpa, Gangnam, Gwangjin and Dongjak districts — including the second polling station in Jamsil 7-dong — were forced to wait indefinitely due to a shortage of ballots. The National Election Commission (NEC) extended voting until 10 p.m. that day for voters who had not yet been able to cast their ballots. However, even after the extension, some residents who had received waiting numbers reportedly turned back without voting.
After news of the incident spread, around 300 conservative-leaning supporters gathered at the entrance of the second polling station in Jamsil 7-dong that night to stage a protest. Holding Korean national flags and picket signs reading "Stop the Vote Count," they chanted slogans alleging "election fraud." Hwang Kyo-ahn, leader of the Liberty and Innovation Party, who has consistently raised allegations of election fraud, also visited the site.
As of 8 a.m., two ballot boxes containing roughly 2,000 ballots from the polling station were still being blocked by the supporters and had not been transported out, according to reports. The NEC said it would not forcibly carry out the transfer, and the standoff was continuing as of 9 a.m. The crowd also caused inconvenience to residents, with commuter vehicles unable to exit and complaints about noise.
As of 3 a.m., the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency had deployed roughly 470 personnel to the scene, including officers from the local precinct and riot police units, to guard against the possibility of casualties. Some protesters have moved on to the front of the central NEC building in Gwacheon to continue their demonstration.
The NEC had earlier said, "Because turnout in the 9th local elections was higher than in the previous election, the ballots prepared at some polling stations in Songpa District were insufficient," adding that "the Songpa District Election Commission is transporting additional ballots to the affected polling stations."
In addition, NEC Secretary General Heo Cheol-hoon issued a public apology Tuesday night at the NEC headquarters in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province. "I deeply apologize and take full responsibility for causing inconvenience to citizens who came to the polling stations to exercise their precious sovereign right, and for damaging public trust in the fair management of elections," he said, bowing his head. "The central NEC takes this matter very seriously, and as soon as the vote count is concluded, we will accurately identify the causes and problems behind the ballot shortage at some polling stations and prepare measures to prevent a recurrence."
