NEC Says Extra Ballots Sent to 67 Polling Stations Short of Ballots, Most in Songpa District

\r\n
\r\n[Financial News] The National Election Commission of the Republic of Korea (NEC) said on the 5th that additional ballots were sent to 67 polling stations nationwide to make up for shortages during the June 3 local elections.
The NEC explained that it adjusted the number of ballots printed for election day voting, taking into account the steady rise in early voting rates in recent elections. However, it said the adjustment did not fully reflect differences in the number of election-day voters by polling station, leading to shortages at some locations.
Yoon Jae-soo, Election Policy Director, said at a briefing at Government Complex Gwacheon that "additional ballots were sent to 67 of the nation's 14,288 polling stations."
By region, Seoul had the most with 35 polling stations, followed by Busan and Gyeongnam with 8, Daegu with 7, Incheon with 6, and Ulsan Metropolitan City with 3. In Seoul, 15 polling stations were in Songpa District alone.
Of the additional ballots sent, 17 polling stations did not use them, while the remaining 50 used them in actual voting. Voting was temporarily suspended and then resumed at 22 polling stations because of ballot shortages.
The NEC said it adjusted the printing volume after repeated cases in past elections where too many ballots were left over in areas with high early voting rates. For this local election, it set the print volume based on a minimum threshold of 50% of eligible voters, while revising related guidelines so the amount could be adjusted according to conditions in each constituency and polling district.
However, the NEC added that the early voting rate for this election was not reflected because printing of election-day ballots began immediately after the candidate registration deadline.
In Songpa District, the district as a whole did not face a ballot shortage, but the NEC said shortages appeared at some polling stations because of differences in voter numbers across the district's 146 polling stations.
The NEC apologized, acknowledging that there was no clear procedure in place for the emergency transfer of additional ballots on the day. It also said it plans to launch a Truth and Reconciliation Commission made up only of outside figures on the 10th to investigate the cause and prepare measures to prevent a recurrence.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission will consist of nine members and conduct a 10-day investigation, with its term to be extended if necessary.
Meanwhile, in response to criticism that lax internal discipline has been exposed in connection with allegations of hiring corruption, the NEC said, "We have carried out the relevant disciplinary procedures, and many of the cases are currently under litigation," adding, "The claim that the punishments were too lenient is not true."
\r\n
clean@fnnews.com Lee Jeong-hwa Reporter