Investigation Expands as Election Officials Face Questioning Over June 3 Ballot Shortages

Two election officials from the Songpa District Election Commission appeared before investigators on Thursday for questioning about internal instructions issued in response to ballot shortages during the June 3 local elections, legal sources said. A joint police and prosecution team is investigating allegations that the National Election Commission reduced the number of printed ballots and failed to respond effectively to shortages on election day.

The team plans to question nine local government officials who distributed ballots at polling stations in Seoul that ran out of ballot papers.

Investigators conducted a search and seizure at the Seoul Metropolitan Election Commission on June 24 to secure evidence. The same day, the team raided the offices of 12 election commission officials who oversaw polling stations in Seoul that experienced shortages.

Protesters demanding a rerun of the June 3 elections have blocked access to the Olympic Park Handball Stadium in southern Seoul since June 5.

The stadium served as a ballot counting site. The blockade continued for a 21st consecutive day on June 25, preventing sports organizations from entering the facility. The culture ministry sent an official request to the National Election Commission on June 25 asking for cooperation to remove election-related items from the stadium so that sports organizations can resume normal operations.

An NEC official said the commission is making efforts to remove the items and has requested cooperation from the police and the interior ministry. Police have refrained from forcibly entering the site due to potential safety concerns. Yoo Jae-seong, acting chief of the National Police Agency, stressed the need for social consensus to remove the ballot boxes from the stadium.