Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon on Friday called for "a thorough investigation and reform on the scale of dismantling the National Election Commission" over the ballot shortage during the June 3 local elections.
In a statement that day, Oh said, "Before the joy of winning, my heart is heavy and devastated," adding, "because something that should never happen occurred at the polling sites that form the foundation of democracy."
Earlier, on June 3, the main voting day of the 9th local elections, voters were left waiting at some polling stations in Seoul's Gangnam, Gwangjin, and Songpa districts due to a shortage of ballots.
"An unprecedented situation occurred in which countless citizens were unable to exercise their right to vote or had to wait for long hours in frustration," Oh said. "In a democratic country, for the state to encourage citizens to vote while there were no ballots at the polling stations, forcing people to turn back, is a grave 'violation of voting rights' and a desecration of constitutional order that cannot be justified by any excuse."
Oh stressed, "The complacent administrative expediency of 'it's fine as long as it doesn't affect the result' is an act that tramples on the values of fairness and common sense that young people so desperately crave," emphasizing that "in a democracy, the value of a single vote is sacred in itself, regardless of who wins or loses."
He then urged the government and the National Election Commission to conduct a thorough and transparent investigation into the incident. "It must be made absolutely clear what caused the failure to predict ballot numbers and the breakdown in the supply chain, and whether there was any intent or grave negligence," Oh said. "The National Assembly must mobilize all powerful means that the public can accept, including a parliamentary investigation and a special counsel, to uncover the truth."
He also demanded stern punishment for those responsible, regardless of their rank. "Repeating such a disaster again, following the poor management during the last presidential election, is evidence of the National Election Commission's chronic laxity in discipline," Oh criticized. "Without painful personnel reshuffling and organizational reform, the public's trust cannot be restored."
He also called for a complete overhaul of the election management system to prevent a recurrence. "Korea's election management process must be redesigned from scratch, based on cutting-edge technology and thorough data prediction," Oh said.
He emphasized, "I will speak out on the side of the citizens until the truth of this incident is clearly uncovered and responsible measures are taken."
