Seoul, June 14: Protests are intensifying in South Korea over a ballot paper shortage during recent local elections. Opposition parties and demonstrators are questioning the government about the lack of voting papers during the elections held on June 3. Legal sources indicate that a joint team of police investigators and prosecutors will soon interrogate officials from the election monitoring body.
This action follows severe criticism directed at the National Election Commission (NEC) of South Korea. Voting had to be temporarily halted at 26 polling stations, most of which were located in Seoul.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the investigation team completed a search and seizure operation at the NEC’s servers on Saturday to secure internal messages and other records. This action is part of the inquiry into the reasons behind the ballot paper shortage.
The team plans to summon officials deployed in the affected areas for questioning, and later, senior officials, including a former chief who resigned following the incident, will also be called in.
The primary focus of the investigation is whether NEC officials exerted undue influence over the printing of ballot papers and how they responded to the shortage. Under South Korean election law, government employees are prohibited from abusing their positions to exert improper influence on the electoral process.
On Thursday, the investigation team conducted raids at seven locations, including the headquarters of the election commission.
Meanwhile, protests demanding a re-election continued for the tenth consecutive day outside a vote counting site in the Jamshil area of Seoul. By 10 a.m. on Sunday, around 600 people had gathered near the SK Olympic Handball Gymnasium, while approximately 19,000 had assembled the previous night.
According to police, these protests are occurring spontaneously without any formal organization, making them difficult to control. Authorities believe that as the investigation progresses, the demonstrators may gradually calm down.
Protesters have blocked the entrances to the stadium, disrupting the operations of nearby sports organizations. These organizations plan to hold a press conference on Monday to appeal to protesters to vacate the premises.
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