Ex-election watchdog chief banned from leaving country amid ballot shortage probe

SEOUL, June 12 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's justice ministry has approved a request from investigators to impose a travel ban on the former head of the National Election Commission (NEC), Roh Tae-ak, amid a probe into shortages of ballots during last week's local elections. The ministry took the measure against Roh and other key officials upon requests made by a team of investigators probing the case, according to judiciary sources.

The move followed a 13-hour raid conducted by investigators at the NEC's headquarters in Gwacheon and its local offices in Seoul, which experienced ballot shortages. Documents detailing ballot printing plans, budget, and meeting minutes were reportedly secured. Investigators plan to analyze these documents to understand the decision-making process and communications between polling stations and the NEC on election day.

The ballot shortages temporarily suspended voting at 26 polling stations nationwide, primarily in Seoul's Songpa Ward, during the June 3 local elections. The incident has prompted protesters to gather around a vote-counting facility, demanding a rerun of the elections.