East Asia
The head of the election watchdog has resigned over the ballot paper row, but authorities have not offered to hold a new vote, sparking protests.
South Korean protesters walk past messages calling for a rerun of the local elections due to a shortage of ballot papers outside a vote-counting centre in Seoul on Jun 10, 2026. (Photo: AFP/Jung Yeon-je)
10 Jun 2026 04:20PM
SEOUL: University students across South Korea will stage protests on Wednesday (Jun 10) as anger grew over ballot paper shortages at recent local elections.Dozens of polling stations nationwide were short of around 7,000 ballot papers on Jun 3 election day, official data showed.The supplies were eventually replenished on voting day, but the mishap fuelled fury in a nation where unfounded claims of vote tampering have found a growing audience.The local election was the first nationwide vote since President Lee Jae Myung took office following conservative Yoon Suk Yeol's ouster over his brief martial law declaration in late 2024.
