Protesters gathered in front of a polling station in Jamsil, Songpa District, Thursday, in protest of the collection of ballot boxes following ballot shortages during the local elections. Yonhap

Public trust in Wednesday's local elections took a hit after ballot shortages at polling stations in southern Seoul prompted hundreds of citizens to take to the streets in protest.

Twelve polling stations across three Seoul districts ran out of ballots Wednesday afternoon, delaying voting or turning away some citizens. Hundreds gathered in front of a polling station in Jamsil, Songpa District, to block the collection of ballot boxes, with some calling it "election fraud."

The move came after the National Election Commission (NEC) announced the mishandling of the voting process and apologized Wednesday evening. However, the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) and several of its candidates, including Seoul mayoral candidate Oh Se-hoon, called for a halt to the vote counting until the situation was fully clarified. PPP leader Jang Dong-hyeok also claimed that the country should conduct a reelection and pledged to file a lawsuit to invalidate the election.

An estimated 2,000 ballots were trapped inside two ballot boxes at the disputed Songpa station after protesters blocked their transport to the counting center, the NEC said. The Seoul election commission said it would not force the removal of the boxes from the station as of 4 a.m.

On Thursday morning, the NEC rejected calls for a revote, saying the ballot shortages did not constitute legal grounds for postponing the election or holding a new vote. Vote counting had not been completed as 9 a.m.

Some online communities questioned the election's credibility following a series of administrative mishandlings. Some photos depicting newly printed ballot papers delivered in Ziploc bags and cardboard boxes went viral and triggered online outrage over sloppy election management.

The presidential office distanced itself from the situation, saying that the matter should be resolved by the NEC

Kang Yu-jung, spokesperson for Cheong Wa Dae, said Wednesday that “Cheong Wa Dae is closely watching the situation with gravity … The NEC is a constitutional institute that should guarantee the people’s right to vote and must take responsible measures to exercise the right and manage the vote counting.”

Source: Korea Times News