South Korean President Lee Jae Myung condemned ballot paper shortages during last week’s local elections as severely damaging his country’s standing as an exemplary democracy, expressing support for protesters who have questioned the election’s integrity.
During a Monday news conference, the president called the June 3 situation that left voters standing in line for hours awaiting ballot deliveries “just ridiculous.”
“It was probably something that’s hard for even people in a lesser developed democracy to imagine that people couldn’t vote because they didn’t have ballot papers,” the president stated. “Shocking.”
Outside a Seoul ballot counting facility, thousands of demonstrators, predominantly young adults in their twenties and thirties, have gathered to demand fresh elections.
Taking responsibility for the crisis, the leader of the National Election Commission, the independent agency responsible for overseeing the nation’s elections, has stepped down from the position.
According to the commission, ballot papers were prepared for 73% of eligible voters based on historical participation rates, but some districts experienced delays receiving supplementary ballots when supplies ran low.
The president has called for a comprehensive investigation into the ballot shortage, while the ruling Democratic Party announced plans for a nationwide inquiry.
The president argued that the constitutional independence granted to the election commission created overconfidence that revealed serious flaws in election administration.
While dismissing critics’ suggestions of electoral fraud, the president indicated some individuals might face criminal charges related to the incident.
The liberal Democratic Party performed strongly in the elections for provincial governors, mayors and local assembly positions, though opposition conservatives maintained control of Seoul’s mayoral office.
