Court Seeks Missing Ballot Container Ordered Preserved in Seoul Election Dispute
Seoul Eastern District Court officials could not find a labeled container holding 1,900 ballots during a June 10 inspection at the Jamsil site. The container was ordered preserved as evidence in a case tied to a June 3 local election ballot shortage.
yna.co.krCourt officials on June 10 failed to secure a labeled container for ballot papers during an on-site inspection at an elderly community center in Jamsil, Songpa Ward, Seoul. The Seoul Eastern District Court had ordered preservation of the container on June 9 as evidence in a case involving a ballot shortage at the polling station used during the June 3 local elections.
The container had been labeled to contain only 1,900 ballots for a site with 3,856 eligible voters, below the required 50 percent minimum.
Officials were unable to locate it during the inspection, Yonhap reported. A National Election Commission official stated by phone that the NEC did not have the container and would have to check for its whereabouts. Court officials are expected to ask the NEC about the container's location.
On June 6, police broke through a group of protesters at the Jamsil site to remove two boxes of uncounted ballots. Protesters had gathered there to demand a re-run of the election over the ballot shortage. The container labeled with 1,900 ballots was spotted at the polling station on that date.
Protesters rallied at a vote-counting facility in Jamsil for the sixth day on June 10, continuing to demand a new election. The lack of ballot papers on June 3 temporarily suspended voting at 26 polling stations nationwide, according to the NEC.
