Noh Tae-ak, Chairman of the National Election Commission [Photo=Yonhap News]

The Citizens' Committee for the Livelihoods of Ordinary People (CCLPOP) has filed a criminal complaint against Noh Tae-ak, Chairman of the National Election Commission (NEC), and other NEC officials and related personnel, accusing them en masse of abuse of power and dereliction of duty, in relation to the disruption of voting due to a shortage of ballots at polling stations in Seoul and Incheon on June 3rd, the main voting day for the 9th National Simultaneous Local Elections and National Assembly by-elections.

The CCLPOP announced on the afternoon of the 3rd, around 9:30 PM, that they had filed a complaint with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency against Noh Tae-ak, NEC Chairman; Huh Cheol-hoon, NEC Secretary-General; Oh Min-seok, Seoul Metropolitan Election Commission Chairman; Kim Beom-jin, Seoul Metropolitan Election Commission Office Director; Min So-young, Songpa-gu Election Commission Chairman; and Jo Si-hoon, Songpa-gu Election Commission Office Director, on charges of abuse of power and dereliction of duty.

In the complaint, the CCLPOP stated, "The defendants caused chaos at some polling stations, including the 6th polling station in Jamsil 2-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul, starting from 1 PM on the 3rd, with over 100 voters waiting due to a shortage of ballots," adding, "Voting could not proceed at all from around 4:30 PM, forcing a considerable number of voters to turn back."

They strongly criticized, "Depriving voters of their right to exercise their right to vote due to a shortage of ballots is a barbarous act that shakes and destroys the foundation of liberal democracy."

Furthermore, they argued, "The occurrence of such a situation at a minimum of 4 or more polling stations constitutes a significant failure in the duty of care as administrators, including negligence in supervision and oversight."

The CCLPOP urged the defendants to issue an immediate apology and for all of them to resign. They also demanded, "The counting of ballots at all polling stations where ballot shortages occurred, including those in Seoul, must be immediately halted and suspended until the issues are resolved." They also urged the National Assembly to, "Convene an emergency meeting tomorrow and immediately commence a parliamentary audit."

The complaint also mentioned the public's distrust of the NEC. The CCLPOP stated, "We have reconfirmed that the NEC is responsible for the fact that many citizens have been unable to trust the NEC, shouting about fraudulent elections due to repeated instances of poor management by the NEC," and pointed out, "Unexplainable incidents are unfairly repeated during every election."

Indeed, a chaotic situation arose on this day due to a shortage of ballots occurring sequentially at a total of 17 polling stations in four districts of Seoul and one district of Incheon.

In Seoul, ballots ran out at a total of 15 locations, including 11 in Songpa-gu, 2 in Gangnam-gu, 1 in Gwangjin-gu, and 1 in Dongjak-gu. At two polling stations in Yeonsu-gu, Incheon, emergency transport of additional ballots caused a commotion. As a result, some voters had to wait for long periods, and some gave up on voting and returned home.

As the repercussions grew uncontrollably, the NEC offered a full apology. Huh Cheol-hoon, NEC Secretary-General, issued an emergency public apology at the NEC headquarters in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, on the evening of the 3rd.

Secretary-General Huh stated, "We have caused great confusion and concern to the public due to the shortage of ballots at some polling stations during today's voting process," and officially stated, "We deeply apologize for damaging the public's trust in fair election management, and we take full responsibility."

CCLPOP Donation Account: Korea Post 010108-01-014472

Account Holder: Citizens' Committee for the Livelihoods of Ordinary People

Reporter Im Yo-hee