University student councils condemn ballot shortage at June 3 local elections

Student councils at major Seoul universities have begun speaking out over a ballot shortage that disrupted voting during the June 3 local elections, directing their anger at the National Election Commission. Several councils have convened emergency meetings and posted public notices on campus.

As of 8 a.m. Friday, the student councils of Kyung Hee University, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies and the University of Seoul had each issued formal statements condemning the NEC over the shortage.

Seoul National University, Korea University and Sogang University also decided to release statements under their student council names. Yonsei University was set to hold its 11th emergency session of the Central Operations Committee on Friday to decide whether to issue a statement, while Chung-Ang University convened a separate emergency meeting to vote on the same question.

The Kyung Hee University student council posted a statement to its official social media accounts around 11 p.m. Thursday under the title "We condemn the NEC's violation of suffrage and its mismanagement of the election." The council said it "will never stand by while the NEC attempts to downplay and cover up this crisis, turning a blind eye to the fury of young people whose sovereignty has been stolen."

Hankuk University of Foreign Studies released a statement Thursday night titled "Elections are the essence of democracy and the most fundamental procedure through which sovereignty is exercised." The council wrote that "the election management body, which should be guarding the gates of democracy, has instead shaken the procedural foundations of representative democracy."

The statements issued by the student councils of Kyung Hee University, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies and the University of Seoul all called on the NEC to disclose information transparently, conduct a full investigation into the ballot shortage and put measures in place to prevent a recurrence. Hankuk University of Foreign Studies and Kyung Hee University also demanded that those responsible at the NEC be held accountable.

The Seoul National University College Student Council Presidents' Joint Conference held two emergency sessions — one around midnight and one Friday morning — and decided to draft a statement condemning the ballot shortage, with plans to post it on social media during the morning. Sogang University decided to publish its statement online and post physical notices on campus. Korea University also resolved through an early-morning meeting Friday to release a statement under its student council's name.

According to the NEC, voting was temporarily suspended at 14 polling stations on election day Wednesday — 12 in Songpa-gu and one each in Gangnam-gu and Gwangjin-gu — after ballots ran out during the local elections and National Assembly by-elections.

‘팔천피의 역설’ 외인 올해 120조 엑소더스, 증시·환율 덮쳤다 [금융시장 ‘검은 금요일’]

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