University students across South Korea to protest in ballot shortage row
The head of the election watchdog has resigned over the ballot paper row, but authorities have not offered to hold a new vote, sparking protests.
South Korean protesters walk past messages calling for a rerun of the local elections due to a shortage of ballot papers outside a vote-counting centre in Seoul on Jun 10, 2026. (Photo: AFP/Jung Yeon-je)
Read a summary of this article on FAST.
Get bite-sized news via a new
cards interface. Give it a try.
Click here to return to FAST
Tap here to return to FAST
FAST
SEOUL: University students across South Korea will stage protests on Wednesday (Jun 10) as anger grew over ballot paper shortages at recent local elections.
Dozens of polling stations nationwide were short of around 7,000 ballot papers on Jun 3 election day, official data showed.
The supplies were eventually replenished on voting day, but the mishap fuelled fury in a nation where unfounded claims of vote tampering have found a growing audience.
The local election was the first nationwide vote since President Lee Jae Myung took office following conservative Yoon Suk Yeol’s ouster over his brief martial law declaration in late 2024.
Guess Word
Crack the word, one row at a time
Buzzword
Create words using the given letters
Mini Sudoku
Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser
Mini Crossword
Small grid, big challenge
Word Search
Spot as many words as you can
Lee’s ruling liberal Democratic Party won most races in the vote for mayors, local government officials and assembly members, but failed to flip the critical Seoul mayoral seat.
The head of the election watchdog has resigned over the ballot paper row, but authorities have not offered to hold a new vote, sparking huge protests at the weekend.
Student unions at 18 universities said they will hold new demonstrations from 6pm Wednesday.
“We are determined to protest because people are universally outraged regardless of political affiliation,” Hwang In-seo of Yonsei University’s student council, told AFP.
Analysts say the National Election Commission, a constitutional body with limited external oversight, has long faced gaps in internal discipline and review mechanisms.
A Seoul court this week ordered evidence from an affected polling station in the capital be preserved for investigation, while local media reported prosecutors and police had agreed to set up a joint investigation team.
The evidence includes ballot boxes and CCTV footage, a representative of the Seoul Eastern District Court told AFP.
Source: AFP/gs
Sign up for our newsletters
Get the CNA app
Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories
Get WhatsApp alerts
Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app
Get bite-sized news via a new
cards interface. Give it a try.
Click here to return to FAST
Tap here to return to FAST
FAST
About The Author
