Seoul, June 9 (IANS) South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok said on Tuesday he seriously takes the shocking shortage of ballot papers at dozens of polling stations in last week’s nationwide local elections, stressing that suffrage is the foundation of democracy.
Kim made the remark at the start of a youth policy meeting with related ministers, saying 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,” Kim said, Yonhap News Agency reported.
Ballot shortages led to the temporary suspension of voting at 26 stations in Seoul and elsewhere in the June 3 elections, something unheard of in South Korea’s election history. The incident sparked public outrage and 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 on Tuesday.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has pledged a thorough investigation and measures to overhaul the National Election Commission.
On Sunday, Lee Jae Myung expressed deep regret over ballot shortages that disrupted last week’s local elections and ordered the launch of a thorough joint investigation by prosecutors and police into the matter.
“The people’s right to vote is a constitutional right that must not be restricted or infringed upon for any reason, and this is a serious issue that undermines the foundation of popular sovereignty,” Lee wrote in a message on X, formerly Twitter, calling the National Election Commission (NEC) “an institution that lost public trust.”
“As a citizen and as the president responsible for the government, I express my deep regret.”
He requested the National Assembly to launch a parliamentary inquiry to clearly determine what happened, devise measures to prevent a recurrence and discuss institutional reforms for the election watchdog.
“The government will also take all possible measures at the executive level in light of the gravity of the situation,” he said. “I have instructed the formation of a joint investigation task force involving prosecutors and police to clearly establish responsibility and thoroughly investigate the full scope of the case.”
A dozen locations in Seoul, including the eastern Songpa district, reported ballot shortages during Wednesday’s elections, prompting the temporary suspension of voting at affected polling stations.
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