Protests in South Korea demanding re-election
Thousands of people have taken part in protests in the South Korean capital Seoul demanding re-election due to a shortage of ballot papers in local elections. AFP reported that the protests, which began on Saturday evening, continued until early Sunday morning (June 7).
The local elections held on Wednesday were the first national elections since President Lee Jae-myung took office. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party won most mayoral, local government and parliamentary seats in the elections. However, the party failed to win the mayoralty of the capital Seoul.
Noh Tae-ak, chairman of the National Election Commission (NEC), resigned on Friday amid nationwide criticism over a shortage of ballot papers in the election. The election commission said there were shortages of ballot papers at 50 polling stations across the country, including 30 in Seoul.
According to Yonhap News Agency, about 10,000 people gathered at Seoul’s SK Olympic Handball Stadium on Saturday evening, where ballots were being counted. An AFP reporter said there were at least 1,000 protesters there as of 2am on Sunday, most of them in their 20s and 30s.
Waving national flags and The protesters, chanting “We want re-election,” were among those who stayed overnight. Volunteers distributed water, coffee and chocolate to the participants. Some even brought their pets. “Regardless of political affiliation, not being able to vote is a violation of our democratic rights,” said 31-year-old protester Seo Jin-hee.
The Election Commission said the shortage of ballots was due to a large number of unused ballots in recent elections, which meant that only 50 percent of eligible voters could be printed. As a result, some voters are believed to have left the polling stations without casting their votes.
However, many citizens are reluctant to accept the commission’s explanation. “The commission’s explanation is completely unacceptable even to an ordinary citizen,” said 29-year-old protester Park Soon-ok. “It doesn’t matter whether my favorite candidate wins or not. The most important thing is to ensure that every citizen has the right to vote. So I think this election should be held again.” Former conservative president President Lee Jae-myung came to power by ousting Yoon Suk-yeol. Yoon was accused of imposing martial law for a period of time in late 2024.
