The National Election Commission apologized for the controversy over the unauthorized removal of ballots that occurred during early voting in Shinchon, Seoul.
Kim Yong-bin, the secretary-general of the commission, revealed on the 29th through a written statement, “There was an instance where the line of out-of-district voters who had received their ballots at the early voting station in Shinchon-dong, Seodaemun-gu, extended outside the polling place.”
Kim noted, “There was mismanagement in not adjusting the speed of ballot issuance as the waiting line grew longer, and the control over voters in line was also not perfect, with some voters leaving the queue.”
He continued, “Such incidents are unacceptable to the common sense of the public,” adding, “Every voter took precious time to come to the polling place, and due to our mistakes, we caused confusion for them.”
He also mentioned, “I sincerely apologize to the public as the mistakes of the on-site election staff are also the responsibility of the National Election Commission, and as the secretary-general of the commission, I deeply regret this.”
However, Secretary-General Kim stated, “The good news is that the final results from the Shinchon early voting station indicate that the number of ballots issued to out-of-district early voters matched exactly with the return envelopes in the out-of-district ballot box,” and explained, “No ballots were removed, and it has been confirmed that all voters waiting outside the polling place voted without exception.”
Additionally, he stated, “We will manage even more thoroughly to ensure that voters can vote with peace of mind during tomorrow’s early voting and on election day.”