Ballot shortage disrupts Seoul school board vote as conservative candidate demands rerun

Voting halted or extended at 14 polling stations in Songpa-gu, Gangnam-gu and elsewhere

Conservative candidate Cho Jeon-hyeok calls shortage 'national disaster'

Front-runner Jeong Geun-sik shrugs off fraud claims as baseless

Legal battles expected even after vote count concludes

Citizens holding signs reading "fraudulent election" chant outside the second polling station in Jamsil 7-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul, on Thursday, where voting was extended until 10 p.m. after ballots ran out during the 9th nationwide local elections and National Assembly by-elections. [Yonhap]

By Kim Yong-jae, The Herald Business

An unprecedented ballot shortage forced polling stations in parts of Seoul to suspend voting and extend hours until 10 p.m., casting a shadow over the Seoul superintendent of education race and raising the prospect of prolonged disputes even after the results are in.

According to the National Election Commission, ballots ran out at 14 polling stations during Wednesday's 9th nationwide local elections — 12 in Songpa-gu, one in Gangnam-gu and one in Gwangjin-gu — forcing voting to be temporarily halted at each location.

Jeong Geun-sik, the front-runner in the Seoul superintendent race, appeared at his campaign office in Anguk-dong, Jongno-gu, after early returns showing him with 41.4 percent of the vote prompted major outlets to project him as the likely winner. "I sincerely thank everyone who made such a precious choice for the future of Seoul education," he said.

However, several conservative candidates pushed back sharply, signaling that the controversy over the voting process could drag on well beyond the close of counting.

Cho Jeon-hyeok, the conservative candidate running second in the Seoul superintendent race, appeared outside the Seoul Metropolitan Election Commission shortly after midnight Thursday and demanded a rerun of the vote.

Seoul superintendent of education candidate Cho Jeon-hyeok visits the Seoul Metropolitan Election Commission in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on Thursday to protest the ballot shortage. [Yonhap]

In an emergency statement, Cho called the shortage "a grave electoral failure that violated the sovereignty of the people and a national disaster that shook the very foundations of democracy." He said some voters cast their ballots only after exit poll results and live vote-count broadcasts had already aired, because polling had been extended due to the shortage.

Cho demanded that the election commission immediately launch a full investigation and disclose all relevant materials. "If it is confirmed that this situation affected the election results, all legal measures including a re-election must be considered," he said.

Another conservative candidate, Yun Ho-sang, called for an immediate halt to the count and urged the ruling and opposition parties to hold emergency talks to minimize public confusion. He said the government and relevant agencies must respond swiftly and transparently.

"We cannot overlook a situation that disregards the people and violates their sovereignty," Yun said.

Jeong shrugged off the claims, saying fraud allegations without any basis have "long plagued our society" and that the demands were not worth a moment's consideration.

As of 5 a.m., Jeong led the Seoul superintendent race with 32.16 percent of the vote. Cho was in second place with 22.14 percent, followed by Yun in third with 14.10 percent.

brunch@heraldcorp.com