On the 3rd, National Election Commission Secretary-General Heo Cheol-hun said of ballot shortages reported in some areas that "it is not possible to identify in detail the polling places involved and the number of ballots," adding, "as soon as the vote count is completed, we will check the relevant data and make it public."
At 9 p.m. that day at the Gwacheon Government Complex, Secretary-General Heo issued a public apology over the ballot shortage, saying, "We caused great confusion and concern for the public," and, "We will identify the causes and problems and put in place measures to prevent a recurrence," and stated accordingly.
Heo said, "We fully recognize our responsibility and offer a deep apology for inconveniencing voters who came to polling places to exercise their precious sovereignty and for damaging the public's trust in fair election management."
He added, "As soon as the commission became aware of the situation, we transported ballots to polling places where they were in short supply," and said, "We took steps and provided guidance so that voters waiting at those polling places could vote normally even if the closing time had passed."
Heo said, "We take this matter very seriously, and as soon as the vote count is completed, we will accurately identify the causes and problems behind the ballot shortages at some polling places and prepare measures to prevent a recurrence."
As of about 6:20 p.m. that day, the commission confirmed a total of 14 polling places with ballot shortages. All were in Seoul, and the cases were identified at polling places in seven neighborhoods, including Garak 2-dong, Jamsil 2-dong, Jamsil 4-dong, Jamsil 7-dong and Munjeong 2-dong in Songpa District, Cheongdam-dong in Gangnam District, and Guui 3-dong in Gwangjin District.
The commission said the cause was that fewer ballots were prepared because turnout was higher than expected. Heo said, "In the case of Songpa District, we identified that (ballots) were printed for 50% of the population," adding, "If there are 100 eligible voters, since there are voters who take part in early voting, 50% of the total number of eligible voters were printed."
Some noted that similar incidents reportedly occurred in Incheon. National Election Commission Election Bureau 1 Director Lee Sang-neung said, "No other reports have come in," but added, "The count is underway and staff are at the counting centers, so we will determine later whether there were cases nationwide and make that public."
Heo said, "Immediately after the count ends, we will check and disclose the relevant data (on the overall ballot shortage)," adding, "Within the scope identified so far, we will answer regarding the rules on deciding the number of ballots to print for election day, how we came to recognize the ballot shortage issue, and the subsequent measures taken."