A court conducted an on-site inspection on the 10th to preserve evidence at Jamsil 7-dong No. 2 polling station in Songpa District, Seoul, where a ballot shortage occurred during the 9th nationwide local elections held simultaneously (the June 3 local elections).
Director General Judge Kim Ji-yeon of the Seoul Eastern District Court and related officials began an on-site inspection around 3 p.m. that day at the senior center of Useong Apartment, where the Jamsil 7-dong No. 2 polling station had been set up.
Director General Judge Kim partially granted an application to preserve evidence regarding ballot storage boxes and other items filed the previous day by Kim Jeong-cheol, a Supreme Council member of the Reform Party and former Seoul mayoral candidate.
The items to be preserved include the ballot storage box labeled "1,900 copies printed" kept at Jamsil 7-dong No. 2 polling station, and closed-circuit (CC) TV footage that recorded scenes of storage for 10 polling stations and ballot boxes in Songpa District from 8 a.m. on the 3rd to 9 p.m. on the 5th.
Kim, the Supreme Council member, also joined the on-site inspection. Kim said, "The ballot shortage is an infringement on suffrage, the very foundation of democracy," and added, "Many suspicions are being raised, and some people are trying to use this politically, so I believe it is our duty to immediately inform the public of the facts identified through litigation."
Kim said the earliest he would file an election objection would be on the 15th. An election objection is a remedy in which, when there is an objection to the validity of an election or its outcome, one petitions the National Election Commission for review before filing a lawsuit.
Kim said, "If we file an election objection, we receive a ruling first within 60 days, and if we object to that, we will take it to the Supreme Court to clearly determine what violations occurred."