South Korea election commission to re‑verify 2.5 million voting papers

The National Election Commission announced that it will manually inspect 2,476,661 voting papers used in seven races in Seoul’s Songpa district, including the mayoral, education superintendent and district‑head contests. About 440 commission staff will examine each ballot one‑by‑one, while roughly 105 party‑appointed observers and around 120 media and parliamentary officials will watch. The entire procedure—including sealing, transport and storage—will be video‑recorded and made public, though the re‑verification will not alter the already‑declared election results.

The move follows a parliamentary special committee hearing on the June 3 local‑election ballot shortage scandal. Lawmakers from the ruling Democratic Party and the opposition People Power Party clashed over the re‑verification schedule and whether it should be linked to a special prosecutor investigation. The committee plans a second hearing on June 22 before finalising its report. Separate findings revealed 39 cases of military absentee‑voting irregularities, prompting calls for broader reforms to protect soldiers’ voting rights.