Voters are waiting in front of a polling station due to a shortage of ballots in Songpa-gu. [Photo=Yonhap News]

The National Election Commission (NEC) explained the incident, stating, "Due to high voter turnout, some polling stations experienced a shortage of ballots" and "We ensured that waiting voters were given the opportunity to vote," issuing an apology. However, this apology fails to address the core issue perceived by the public.

The essence of the problem is not a simple administrative error. It lies in the fact that the right to vote, the most fundamental aspect of democracy in South Korea, was violated in practice at polling stations.

Citizens who took time to wait in line to vote were forced to wait for hours due to a lack of ballots, and some eventually gave up and left without voting. This is a clear violation of voting rights.

What is even more serious is that this situation occurred simultaneously in at least 17 polling stations across Seoul, Gyeonggi, and Incheon, not just in one or two locations.

The NEC is an organization responsible for predicting voter turnout and planning ballot supply for every election. If a ballot shortage of what appears to be a systematic nature occurred in specific areas, the public cannot help but doubt the fairness and reliability of the election management itself.

Although the NEC claims, "We took measures so that all waiting voters could cast their ballots," the reality was different. Testimonies from citizens who returned home after long waits are already emerging, and confusion arose at some polling stations, leading to confrontations between voters and police.

The very situation where the public distrusts state institutions and suspects the removal of ballot boxes indicates that the election management this time has failed.

In a democracy, procedural legitimacy must be secured before the outcome. While we proclaim that "every single vote is precious," how can an election that prevents citizens who came to vote from exercising their right to vote be considered a normal election?

This incident cannot be concluded with a simple apology. For the regions where the ballot shortage occurred, vote counting must be immediately halted, the extent of the voting rights violations investigated, and a re-election held in those areas. This is the minimum measure required to restore the collapsed trust in elections.

Nothing is more important than the right to participate in politics for the people. Democracy cannot be built upon "elections that are simply glossed over."

June 3, 2026

Oh Sang-jong, Liberty Korea Homeland Group

Oh Sang-jong, Representative of the Liberty Korea Homeland Group