Police forces are on guard in front of the National Election Commission in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, on the 7th, in anticipation of a sudden protest by conservative groups criticizing the shortage of ballots in the local elections. [Yonhap News) 

It has been determined that 7,194 ballots were short nationwide during the main voting for the June 3 local elections.

According to data submitted by Representative Jung Hee-yong of the People Power Party from the National Election Commission on the 9th, the National Election Commission recorded a shortage of 7,194 ballots at 91 polling stations nationwide on the 3rd.

The National Election Commission had previously informed the office of Representative Kim Min-jeon of the People Power Party and others that 4,726 ballots were short at 50 polling stations as of the 5th. This figure is about 1.5 times larger than that.

In Seoul, 4,206 ballots were found to be short. Among these, the shortage of 436 ballots at the 7th polling station in Jamsil 4-dong, Songpa-gu, was the largest.

This was followed by ▲ the 4th polling station in Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul (383 ballots) ▲ the 4th polling station in Ganseok 1-dong, Namdong-gu, Incheon (306 ballots) ▲ the 6th polling station in Guui 3-dong, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul (278 ballots) ▲ the 6th polling station in Jangwi 1-dong, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul (277 ballots), and so on.

The 2nd polling station in Jamsil 7-dong, which was blocked due to a protest on the main voting day, was short 179 ballots.

A total of 26 polling stations nationwide experienced voting suspensions due to the ballot shortage, with interruptions lasting from a minimum of 4 minutes (4th polling station in Dogok 2-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul) to a maximum of 105 minutes (2nd polling station in Jamsil 2-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul). The voting suspension time refers to the period during which the marking process was completely halted due to the suspension of ballot supply.

The National Election Commission stated that for three locations in Seoul – the 2nd polling station in Munjeong 2-dong, Songpa-gu, and the 5th and 7th polling stations in Jamsil 2-dong, Songpa-gu – the duration of the voting suspension was unclear or unconfirmed.

Representative Jung stated, "The National Election Commission's incompetence and irresponsibility have infringed upon the voting rights of the people due to an unprecedented situation of ballot shortages. We must hold them strictly accountable and implement large-scale reforms," adding, "We must establish clear facts and prepare measures to prevent recurrence through all necessary actions, including special investigations, parliamentary audits, and legislative amendments."