Controversy continues over the ballot shortage that occurred during the ninth nationwide local elections held on June 3. Public criticism of the incident has spread to university campuses. As General Student Association (GSA) at several universities continued to issue statements on the incident, Kyung Hee University’s GSA also released a statement condemning the violation of voting rights.

Students holding a banner 

Students on Seoul Campus gathered to issue a statement

On June 10, students gathered in front of the Neo-Renaissance Building to issue a statement condemning voting rights violations in the June 3 local elections. The event lasted about 30 minutes, from 6 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. It began with remarks from the GSA, followed by speeches from student representatives, remarks from students, and slogan chanting.

Participants referred to the June 10 Democratic Uprising in 1987 and emphasized the importance of protecting democratic rights. GSA stated, “We stand here today to carry on the noble spirit of the June 10 Democratic Uprising, through which our predecessors protected democracy and won the right to vote with their blood and sweat. We are here to restore democracy, which is now being shaken.” They also defined the incident as a serious violation of basic rights, saying that the state had blocked voters from exercising their rightful vote. They criticized the shortage of ballots as “not a minor administrative mistake, but an incident that damaged the procedures and principles of democracy.”

Speeches from College representatives followed. Students called for a thorough investigation into the voting rights violations and measures to prevent similar incidents from happening again. The Department of Business Administration student representatives said, “Democracy cannot continue once it loses the trust of the people,” and called for a thorough investigation and institutional reform. Student representatives from the Dept. of Pharmacy criticized the National Election Commission (NEC) for its complacent response, saying it had failed to recognize the weight of the right to vote. The School of Global Eminence representatives stated, “What disappeared was not just ballots, but trust, and the commission must take responsibility before the public.”

During the remarks, students demanded the introduction of a special prosecutor, reform of the NEC, and improvements to the electoral system. They stressed that the issue should not end as a temporary expression of anger. One student from the Dept. of Hospitality and Tourism Management argued that, “The commission has repeatedly failed to properly manage elections, including voter list omissions, ballot shortages, and preferential hiring involving children of high-ranking officials. Yet it has continued to avoid responsibility.” Another student from the Dept. of Public Administration said, “Regardless of political ideology, the essence of this incident is that the election was not fair.” The student asked for a special law and re-elections in areas affected by the ballot shortage controversy.

The event concluded with participants holding picket signs and slogan chanting. They denounced the state’s violation of voting rights and called for a special investigation and strict punishment of those responsible.

The statement posted on Instagram

Photo: KHU Global Campus GSA Instagram (@khu_58_route)

Global Campus Also Releases Statement on Voting Rights Violations

On the same day, the Central Operations Committee of Global Campus also released a statement, joined by 206 students through voluntary signatures. The committee said the NEC had failed to explain the scale and cause of the incident to the public, leaving responsibility unclear. They stressed that revealing the facts as they are is essential to restoring public trust, and called for an independent investigative body involving citizens, including young people and university students. They also urged the government and the National Assembly to pursue measures to prevent a recurrence and structural reform of the NEC.

With calls for a comprehensive review of the election management system growing on both campuses, attention is now focused on how the NEC, the government, and the National Assembly will respond to students’ demands for a fact-finding investigation, accountability, and measures to prevent similar incidents from happening again.