At 6:10 p.m. on the 10th, Democracy Plaza on the Anam campus of Korea University in Seongbuk District, Seoul. About 200 students gathered. A week remained before final exams for the spring semester, but they took time to chant slogans such as "Overhaul the election commission that caused a shoddy election" and "Use every means available to get to the bottom of this situation."
Lee Ji-min, chair of the Korea University General Student Council's Central Emergency Committee, read a declaration. Lee said, "In the name of the nation-burning oppressions of Minjok Goryeo, we declare today," and added, "To defend freedom, justice, and truth, we will put ourselves at the forefront. We will continue to act until democracy is restored."
On the 39th anniversary of the June 10 Democracy Movement, general student councils at 16 universities nationwide issued a declaration condemning the shortage of ballot papers that occurred during the 9th nationwide local elections on June 3. The students demanded a full investigation into the situation and a sweeping overhaul of the election commission that caused the shoddy election.
About 100 students at Seoul National University also gathered at the Gwanak campus Acropolis to issue a declaration. Lee Ui-bin, chair of the council of college student council presidents at Seoul National University, said, "Suffrage is the most fundamental right supporting democracy, and the value of one vote guaranteed to an individual must not be damaged under any circumstances."
Seoul National University students demanded: ▲ conduct a thorough fact-finding investigation, strictly punish those responsible, and prepare remedies for the infringement of sovereignty ▲ have the government and the National Assembly establish measures to prevent a recurrence and carry out structural reforms of the election commission ▲ form an independent reform watchdog body with participation from all citizens, including young people and university students.
Yonsei University students also said in their declaration, "This situation is not an issue of progressives versus conservatives or the ruling versus opposition parties, but of whether we can remain a democratic republic," adding, "Reveal the truth and punish those responsible."
Hwang In-seo, head of the Yonsei University General Student Council's Emergency Committee, said, "This matter is not a conflict between left and right or between the ruling and opposition parties," adding, "It infringed on suffrage, the foundation of representative democracy, and is something that would spark nationwide anger."
The students also stressed that criticism of the infringement of suffrage should not be consumed by partisan strife. Shin Chang-hun, president of the Kyunghee University General Student Council, said, "Our outcry is not for blind criticism of the state or wasteful political strife," adding, "It is a firm pledge to defend the values of democracy that we must naturally uphold as young intellectuals in a time when common sense is shaken."
On the same day, declarations were also read at Konkuk University, Sogang University, the University of Seoul, Sungkyunkwan University, Soongsil University, Chonnam National University, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, Hongik University, Sookmyung Women's University, Chonbuk National University, Pusan National University, and Hanyang University.
According to the National Election Commission's tally, 7,194 ballot papers were short nationwide on the main voting day of the June 3 local elections. There were 91 polling stations where ballot papers ran short, and in the longest case, voting was suspended for 105 minutes.
Prosecutors and police formed a joint investigation headquarters over the unprecedented ballot shortage. They are expected to focus on how election commission staff came to print too few ballot papers. The National Assembly is also set to convene a plenary session on the 11th to report a request for a parliamentary investigation into the truth behind the ballot paper shortage.