Noh Tae-ak (left), Chairperson of the National Election Commission, and residents gathered in front of the second polling station in Jamsil 7-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul, due to a shortage of ballots. [Photo = Yonhap News]

In relation to the unprecedented incident where voting was suspended at 14 polling stations in Seoul due to a shortage of ballots on the day of the June 3rd local elections, numerous officials from the National Election Commission and district election commissions have been additionally indicted.

The civic group Committee for the Improvement of People’s Livelihoods (COIM) announced on the 4th that it had filed an additional complaint with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency against officials of the election commission, including National Election Commission Chairperson Noh Tae-ak, on charges of embezzlement and breach of trust. This adds further charges to the initial complaint filed the previous day for abuse of power and dereliction of duty.

The defendants named in this complaint are: △ National Election Commission: Chairperson Noh Tae-ak, Secretary-General Heo Chul-hoon △ Seoul Metropolitan Election Commission: Chairperson Oh Min-seok, Director Kim Beom-jin △ District Election Commissions: Chairpersons and Directors of the Songpa, Gangnam, and Gwangjin District Election Commissions.

In its complaint, COIM pointed out, "On the day of the local elections, voting was suspended at 14 polling stations in Seoul, including Songpa, Gangnam, and Gwangjin, as all prepared ballots were exhausted." It continued, "As a result, hundreds of voters lined up causing confusion, and voting could not proceed at all from 4:30 PM." The group criticized, "(The defendants) instigated the outrageous act of making a considerable number of voters wait and then leave."

In particular, the newly added charges of embezzlement and breach of trust specifically target the issue of ballot printing in areas like Songpa-gu.

COIM stated, "The election commission printed only 50% of the ballots for the relevant districts." They urged, "If the remaining costs were used elsewhere after receiving money from candidates for printing only half the ballots, a swift and thorough investigation must be conducted to uncover where those funds went." This is intended to resolve the reasonable doubts that have been raised regarding the poor management and distribution of ballots.

Following the ballot shortage incident on election day, the affected polling stations had to extend voting hours until 10 PM. During this process, some voters waited in line for extended periods, while others ultimately gave up and left without voting.

On the previous day, the 3rd, COIM had already filed a complaint with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency against National Election Commission Chairperson Noh and Secretary-General Heo on charges of abuse of power and dereliction of duty, stating, "Voters were deprived of their right to vote, and the election commission infringed upon the constitutionally guaranteed right to vote." The case has currently been assigned to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Major Crimes Investigation Division, and a full-scale investigation has commenced.

Meanwhile, as the repercussions grew, Secretary-General Heo Chul-hoon of the Election Commission held an emergency briefing and bowed his head, stating, "We have caused great confusion and concern to the public," and added, "I feel responsible for undermining trust in fair election management."

COIM Donation Account: Korea Post 010108-01-014472

Account Holder: Committee for the Improvement of People’s Livelihoods

Reporter Lim Yo-hee