Jang Dong-hyeok Hints at Rejecting the Election Result.."We Will Fight to the End"

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\r\n[Financial News] Jang Dong-hyeok, leader of the People Power Party, hinted on June 4 that he may reject the local election results. The party had demanded that vote counting be suspended and a by-election be held after delays caused by a shortage of ballots in parts of Seoul, but the National Election Commission (NEC) rejected the request.
Speaking to reporters shortly after the NEC released its statement, Jang said, "We strongly demanded that vote counting be suspended, but the NEC did not accept it," adding that it was "an election we cannot recognize."
Earlier, voting was delayed in some parts of Seoul because of a shortage of ballots. In response, the People Power Party called for vote counting to be halted, saying an election postponement or a rerun was necessary. Jang also visited the election commission in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi, to deliver the demand directly to Rho Tae-ak, the commission chair. The party even warned that it could file a lawsuit to invalidate the election.
The NEC nevertheless issued a statement saying, "We deeply apologize for the confusion and inconvenience caused to voters' rights by the shortage of ballots at some polling stations on the 3rd," but added, "However, this does not constitute grounds for postponing the election or holding a rerun under the Public Official Election Act. Therefore, vote counting cannot be suspended, and the ballot boxes from the affected polling stations must be transferred to the counting center." It said it would launch a fact-finding probe and prepare countermeasures after the count is completed.
Despite the commission's position, protests blocking the removal of ballot boxes are continuing at a polling station in Songpa District, Seoul, where the shortage occurred. The Seoul Metropolitan Election Commission has therefore decided not to force the transfer of the ballot box from Jamsil 7-dong Polling Place No. 2 for now. It plans to try again once concerns over a possible physical clash have been eased.
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uknow@fnnews.com Kim Yun-ho Reporter