Key facts
- South Korea's National Election Commission (NEC) has established a fact-finding committee to investigate ballot shortages.
- The committee's inaugural meeting was held on Wednesday.
- The investigation stems from a shortage of ballots during the June 3 local elections in Seoul.
- Some voters were unable to cast their ballots due to the shortage.
- The NEC has apologized for the confusion and inconvenience caused.
South Korea's National Election Commission (NEC) has initiated a formal investigation into ballot shortages that occurred during last week's local elections. A newly formed fact-finding committee, comprising external experts, convened for its first meeting on Wednesday to address the unprecedented incident.
The commission has issued a public apology for the significant confusion and inconvenience caused to voters, acknowledging that prepared ballot papers ran out at some polling stations in Songpa-gu, Seoul, on June 3, preventing some citizens from exercising their right to vote. This shortage led to allegations of election fraud and demands for a re-vote, consequently delaying the confirmation of election results in the affected districts.