Related Article

During the ninth nationwide local elections held on June 3, a shortage of ballots caused significant confusion, including the suspension of voting at several polling stations. The incident drew criticism from voters and civic groups, who argued that it undermined citizens' constitutional right to vote. In response, student representative bodies across the country, including the Central Operations Committees (COCs) of Kyung Hee University (KHU)’s Seoul and Global Campuses, have stepped forward to demand accountability and systemic reform.

Overview of the Ballot Shortage Crisis

Election officials inspect ballots for the ninth nationwide local elections at the National Election Commission 

Photo: News1 (news1.kr) 

According to the NEC, the shortage resulted from revised ballot-printing guidelines introduced before the election. Prior to the local elections, the NEC revised its manual and incorporated criteria to reduce ballot printing volume into the Comprehensive Management Guidelines for the ninth Nationwide Local Elections to prevent a surplus of leftover ballots. In a briefing on June 5, Yoon Jae-soo, head of the NEC’s Election Policy Office, stated, "As early voting turnouts have recently increased, there is a tendency for excessive ballots to remain on the main election day. Therefore, we printed election day ballots based on 50 percent of the total number of eligible voters."

Consequently, 67 polling stations had to request additional ballots. Out of these, 50 stations actually utilized the supplementary ballots, and 22 stations experienced a temporary halt in voting—the core issue of this crisis. In the Songpa district, which accounted for the largest share of the ballot shortage, various protests, including the blockading of vote-counting stations, have continued for days after the election.

Seoul and Global Campus Central Operations Committees Issue Statements

Statements by the Seoul Campus (left) and Global Campus (right) Central Operations Committees

KHU student representative bodies also responded to the incident. Shortly after the election, the COCs of KHU issued statements on June 4 and 5.

The Seoul Campus COC condemned the NEC, pointing to the suspension of voting at 14 polling stations in Seoul due to ballot shortages. It described the incident as “a serious violation of democracy in which a state institution took the lead in trampling on the people’s right to vote, as guaranteed under Article 24 of the Constitution.” The committee called for the immediate resignation of all responsible officials, including the chair of the NEC, as well as effective measures to address the damage. It also stressed that “rights that have been taken away cannot be reclaimed through silence.”

The Global Campus COC also voiced its support through a statement titled There Can Be No Cultural World Without Democracy. Referring to the University’s founding ideal of “creating a cultural world,” the committee strongly criticized the NEC for “avoiding responsibility by claiming that more voters than expected had shown up.”

Both committees demanded a transparent disclosure of how the incident unfolded, practical relief measures for those affected, and fundamental reform of the overall election management system. Invoking the spirit of Kyung Hee, the two campus committees declared that they would continue to speak out on the issue. Many students also showed support by sharing statements from different universities on their personal social media accounts, adding strength to the voices of student representatives.

Meeting Between University Student Council Presidents and the Prime Minister

Prime Minister Kim Min-seok meets with the delegation of university student council presidents at the Government Complex Seoul on June 7

Photo: Office for Government Policy Coordination Prime Minister's Secretariat (opm.go.kr)

As criticism spread across the university community, the government ultimately stepped forward to engage in direct dialogue. On June 7, an emergency meeting was held at the Government Complex Seoul between a delegation of university student council presidents and Prime Minister Kim Min-seok. During this meeting, the student delegation presented three core demands: a full-scale investigation, accountability, and institutional reform.

Shin Chang-hoon, President of the Seoul Campus General Student Association (GSA), sharply pointed out the blind spots of the NEC's independence during his remarks. He criticized, "While we respect the purpose of the NEC's independence, it must not lead to irresponsibility," adding, "Unchecked power is bound to corrupt, and the result is the current disaster." He further warned, "A nation that has lost the trust of its people will collapse even if it has everything else in place," and strongly urged, "Relevant ministries should not stop at simply expressing regret, but must promptly report to the public a concrete institutional reform plan and timetable to prevent the lax operation of the NEC."

In response, Prime Minister Kim expressed his full empathy with the severity of the issue and the students' concerns. "It has been confirmed that the NEC is also a power that requires monitoring and checks; however, as it is an independent constitutional institution, there are limits to the government's direct intervention," Kim explained. Nevertheless, he emphasized, "In addition to reviewing the initiation of a government-level investigation, we must uncover the truth behind the entire process, including ballot delivery and delayed responses, in a manner the public can trust—even through a parliamentary investigation or a special counsel if necessary."

Furthermore, while acknowledging that holding re-elections and providing relief to victims require further legal discussions such as judicial rulings, he promised to actively consider forming a "pan-national discussion body" comprising citizens, student representatives, and experts to derive a system improvement plan within the shortest possible time.

On June 10, the anniversary of the June 10 Democratic Uprising, students on both KHU campuses held rallies and released statements calling for an investigation into the ballot shortage incident and measures to prevent similar cases from recurring. Student representative bodies at universities across the country, including KHU, have also called for greater accountability from the NEC, as well as reforms to the election management system. Currently, student representative bodies from major universities nationwide, including KHU, are strongly demanding a transparent investigation and preventative measures from the NEC.