The Blue House said the National Election Commission must ensure there are no disruptions in ballot counting over the shortage of ballot papers that occurred during the June 3 local elections.
Blue House chief spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said in a notice on the 3rd, "As a constitutional body that guarantees the people's suffrage, the National Election Commission should take responsible measures so that there are no disruptions to some residents' exercise of their voting rights and to ballot counting," adding, "The Blue House is closely monitoring the situation."
As of 6:20 p.m. that day, at 12 polling stations in Songpa District in Seoul, one in Gangnam District, and one in Gwangjin District, voters were waiting or turning away due to a shortage of ballot papers.
National Election Commission Secretary-General Heo Cheol-hun, after the ballot paper shortage occurred, held a press conference to apologize to the public and said, "We deeply feel responsible and offer our sincere apology for inconveniencing people who came to polling stations to exercise their precious sovereignty and for undermining public trust in fair election management."