On the 3rd, Reform Party Seoul mayoral candidate Kim Jeong-cheol posted on social media (SNS) about the "ballot shortage situation," saying, "Some Seoul residents were deprived of their right to vote today. Immediately halt the vote count in Seoul."
Kim said, "If the count is forced under the current circumstances and a winner is announced accordingly, it is clear that this issue will once again plunge the Republic of Korea into allegations of election fraud," and set out "three demands." Along with a halt to the count, he called for the "immediate official tally and publication of the number of voters sent home by polling station" and the "preservation of evidence such as CCTV and internal documents at the polling stations."
Kim also cited a Dec. 19, 2023 ruling by the German Federal Constitutional Court. The ruling nullified the election and ordered a rerun over the ballot shortage that occurred in the 2021 election held in Berlin. The judgment at the time includes the passage, "The interest in maintaining the status of the elected parliament retreats before the constitutional imperative to correct election errors."
Kim said, "Article 222 of the (Korea) Public Official Election Act provides that when there is a violation of election-related provisions and it is recognized to have affected the result, all or part of the election may be invalidated," adding, "Since the decision of the German Federal Constitutional Court indicates that a 'possibility' of having an impact is sufficient, there is also a possibility that an election-nullification suit will be upheld in the future (in Korea as well)."