Key facts
- Roh Tae-ak, head of South Korea's National Election Commission, resigned.
- The resignation follows a ballot paper shortage during local elections.
- 50 polling stations ran out of ballots, and 22 experienced supply delays.
- Over 6,000 people protested, demanding a re-run of the election.
- An independent panel will investigate the cause of the shortage.
Roh Tae-ak, the head of South Korea's National Election Commission (NEC), announced his resignation to take responsibility for a significant shortage of ballot papers during recent local elections. The incident disrupted voting, with 50 polling stations running out of papers and an additional 22 experiencing delays in receiving supplies. This failure to safeguard democratic rights led to public outcry and distrust. Over 6,000 people protested at a vote-counting center, demanding a re-run of the election. Roh stated there was no excuse for the mishap and that an independent panel of outside experts would investigate the cause, with consequences to follow. Ballot papers were printed for only 73% of eligible voters for the three days of voting, despite an early voting turnout that led to a final overall turnout of 63%.