![Cho Hyun-wook, chairman of the fact-finding committee on the ballot shortage crisis. [Yonhap]](https://wimg.heraldcorp.com/news/cms/2026/06/23/rcv.YNA.20260612.PYH2026061202020001302_P1.jpg)
The chairman of the fact-finding committee that investigated the ballot shortage during the June 3 local elections said Tuesday that he believes fewer than 40 but at least 30 people were ultimately unable to cast their votes.
Cho Hyun-wook, former chairman of the National Election Commission's fact-finding committee, made the remarks in an interview on KBS1 Radio's "Jeongyeok Sisa." He said the committee reviewed all voting records but found the documentation inconsistent. At one polling station in Jamsil 7-dong, for example, the records noted at around 8:35 a.m. that 17 people had not yet voted, but a later entry did not specify how many ultimately did — it simply read "one person present."
"Of those 17, five ended up voting and 12 did not," Cho said. "At another location, the record says someone 'left shouting that there was no time.' If one person is listed, we count it as one — but the situation was so chaotic and disorganized." He added that he had some doubts about whether the records were accurately kept, though he noted that the voting logs did capture the overall situation.
On the fact that vote counting began before all voting had concluded on election day, Cho said flatly: "That should not have happened under the Public Official Election Act."
He acknowledged that the ballot shortage was already known at the time, and noted that it is common practice to begin counting ballots as they arrive at the counting center even before all boxes have been delivered. "But this was an extraordinary situation — voting was not extended by 20 or 30 minutes, it was extended all the way to 10 p.m.," he said. "Starting the count early was a truly regrettable decision, in my view."
Cho expressed hope that a parliamentary investigation would shed further light on the matter. "A parliamentary investigation carries enormous authority, so I think many details will come to light that we were not able to uncover," he said. "I hope everything is fully revealed and that this leads to genuine electoral reform."
He also called for systemic changes at the NEC, noting that its chairperson is currently a Supreme Court justice serving in a non-standing, concurrent role. "Supreme Court justices are already overwhelmed with work, and on top of that they chair the NEC on a part-time basis," Cho said. "There is simply no time to look closely at things — they can only listen to reports. If we want accountability, the system must change so the chair serves full-time and can devote themselves to the work."
President Lee Jae-myung on Tuesday ordered an expansion of the joint prosecutors-police investigative task force set up to determine the cause of the ballot shortage during the June 3 local elections.
yul@heraldcorp.com
