PM Takes Responsibility for Ballot Shortages That Suspended Voting at 26 Stations

Prime Minister Kim Min-seok said Tuesday that the shortage of ballot papers at dozens of polling stations in last week's nationwide local elections was shocking and that he takes the matter seriously. He spoke at the start of a youth policy meeting with related ministers. Kim said suffrage is the foundation of democracy and that he was ashamed of the incident.

"We should have been more sensitive to such issues and should've responded more quickly to come up with solutions, but we couldn't. It was truly regrettable and it reinforced our sense of responsibility," he said. Ballot shortages led to the temporary suspension of voting at 26 stations in Seoul and elsewhere during the June 3 elections, an occurrence Yonhap reported is unheard of in South Korea's election history.

The incident sparked public outrage. Younger voters in their 20s and 30s have been holding protests around a ballot counting place in Seoul's southern district of Jamsil for the fifth day as of Tuesday. President Lee Jae Myung has pledged a thorough investigation and measures to overhaul the National Election Commission.