Key facts
- Court officials failed to secure a key piece of evidence, a ballot container, at a Seoul polling station.
- The container was labeled for 1,900 ballots, falling short of the minimum required for the area's voters.
- The ballot shortage during the June 3 local elections caused temporary voting suspensions nationwide.
- Protesters are demanding a new election and have been rallying at a vote-counting facility.
- The National Election Commission is investigating the whereabouts of the missing container.
Court officials on Wednesday were unable to secure a crucial piece of evidence at a Seoul polling station in connection with a ballot shortage during last week's local elections. The Seoul Eastern District Court had ordered the preservation of evidence, including a ballot container, from the Jamsil polling site. This container is considered key because it was labeled to hold only 1,900 ballots, which is insufficient for the area's 3,856 eligible voters. However, officials could not find the container during their inspection. An official from the National Election Commission stated that the watchdog did not have the container and would investigate its location. Previously, police had to force their way through protesters to remove two boxes of cast ballots that had not been counted. Protesters had gathered to demand a re-run of the election due to the ballot shortage, which temporarily suspended voting at 26 polling stations nationwide. Protesters continued their demonstrations at a vote-counting facility, demanding a new election.