Oh Se-hoon calls for vote count suspension over ballot shortage

Oh Se-hoon, the People Power Party candidate for Seoul mayor, called Wednesday for the suspension of vote counting until remedial measures are completed for areas where a ballot shortage prevented residents from casting their votes.

Oh issued a statement that afternoon, saying, "Not even a single citizen's right to vote should be infringed upon," and demanding that the count be halted until the situation is resolved.

"Voting is still under way in some areas, and I understand some people left without being able to vote," he said. "The National Election Commission must take responsible remedial action to restore the voting rights of affected citizens."

Vote counting was proceeding in most parts of Seoul, with some areas excluded. As of 10:05 p.m. Wednesday, the count stood at 5.79%. Of 304,666 ballots tallied, Democratic Party of Korea Seoul mayoral candidate Jeong Won-oh had received 198,759 votes, or 65.79%, while Oh had received 96,167 votes, or 31.83%.

Ballot shortages were reported at 17 polling stations across the greater Seoul metropolitan area on Wednesday, the main voting day for the June 3 local elections. The National Election Commission extended voting hours at the affected stations to 10 p.m. to allow voters who had been unable to cast their ballots to do so.

The commission issued a public apology at 9 p.m. Wednesday. Heo Cheol-hun, speaking at the commission's office in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, said the body "deeply apologizes and takes full responsibility for the inconvenience caused to citizens who visited polling stations to exercise their precious right to vote, and for undermining public trust in fair election administration." He added that the commission had immediately transferred ballots to affected stations upon learning of the shortage and had ensured that voters already waiting in line could cast their ballots even after the original closing time.

"The National Election Commission takes this matter with the utmost gravity and will identify the exact cause of the ballot shortages and put in place measures to prevent a recurrence as soon as counting is complete," he said. "We again apologize for the disappointment caused by our inadequate preparation and response."