Prime Minister Kim Min-seok attends a meeting at a Korea Meteorological Administration facility in Seoul on Friday. (Yonhap) Prime Minister Kim Min-seok on Friday said that all possible measures would be employed to investigate the ballot shortage that occurred in Wednesday’s local and parliamentary by-election.“The National Election Commission’s ballot shortage incident cannot be overlooked. It is a grievous challenge against K-democracy,” Kim wrote on his X account.“(I will) order all measures, including criminal investigation, to uncover the truth and hold (those responsible) accountable. If necessary, a parliamentary audit or special counsel investigation should be held to determine the facts and improve the system.”On Thursday, President Lee Jae Myung said that concerned government bodies should “use all authority held by the administrative branch to clearly identify the cause of the incident,” and that those responsible should be held accountable.Kim's statement comes amid calls for a special counsel probe into the issue.During the local and parliamentary by-elections on Wednesday, 14 polling stations in southeastern Seoul ran out of ballot paper, causing delays in the voting.Although the NEC allowed voting to continue at affected polling stations late into the night, the development was met with protests and claims of election rigging. Protesters had blocked election officials from removing ballot boxes until police intervened early Friday.