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The head of South Korea’s National Election Commission, Rho Tae-ak, resigned on Friday after a severe ballot paper shortage during local elections sparked a tense two-day protest and blockade.
The resignation occurred hours after riot police cleared demonstrators who had blocked a Seoul polling station to prevent authorities from removing ballot boxes.
Rho apologised for the unacceptable incident, stating it infringed upon the people’s precious right to vote, while the commission revealed that the shortage affected 50 polling stations nationwide after officials failed to anticipate voter turnout.
Wednesday’s election marked the first nationwide vote since President Lee Jae Myung took office following the ouster of Yoon Suk Yeol over a short-lived martial law declaration.
While Lee’s ruling Democratic Party swept most races, it failed to flip the crucial Seoul mayoral seat.
In response to the voting chaos, People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok demanded a rerun of the election, and President Lee ordered an investigation into the flaw.
The crisis escalated dramatically in Seoul’s Jamsil 7-dong district, where a small election-night gathering swelled to more than 1,000 demonstrators by Thursday.
Demonstrators blocked authorities from removing two ballot boxes, forcing polling station staff to remain trapped inside until Friday morning.
Riot police eventually intervened on Friday morning to physically remove and drag away resisting demonstrators, which allowed officials to safely transport the remaining 2,000 ballots to a counting centre.
The controversy has fuelled internet rumours and conspiracy theories about election fraud.
On social media, unverified posts falsely claimed that police assaulted a young demonstrator and left him in a coma, a rumour that the Korean National Police Agency quickly denied.
Political commentator Park Sang-byung noted that the commission has long operated with limited external oversight and warned that this blunder has effectively handed ammunition to conspiracy theorists for months to come.
