South Korea parliament launches probe into election ballot shortages

South Korea's parliament has launched a 45-day investigation into the National Election Commission following ballot-paper shortages that disrupted local elections and triggered widespread protests.

South Korea's parliament on Thursday launched ​a 45-day parliamentary investigation into ​the National Election Commission after ‌ballot-paper shortages disrupted ​voting in the June 3 local elections, approving the plan at a plenary session. The ballot paper fiasco ‌has triggered protests, the resignation of the NEC chief and calls from President Lee Jae Myung for a thorough investigation.

The special parliamentary committee will examine the NEC ‌and regional election commissions over what lawmakers described as infringements of citizens' voting rights ‌and the need for election-management reform. The investigation panel comprises lawmakers from the ruling Democratic Party, main opposition People Power Party (PPP) and from minor parties, with PPP lawmaker Yoon Sang-hyun set to chair it.

"The ⁠fact-finding ​investigation is not ⁠the end, but the beginning," National Assembly speaker Cho Jeong-sik said. "The parliamentary investigation should identify the ⁠causes and lead to election management reform measures that the public can trust."

On Wednesday, NEC ​acting secretary-general Kang Dong-wan told protesting university student representatives the commission felt "devastated" by ⁠its inadequate preparation and would cooperate with the parliamentary inquiry, a joint police-prosecution investigation and its own ⁠audit. An ​NEC official said on Wednesday ballot shortages occurred at 91 polling stations nationwide, with voting briefly suspended at 26 during the local elections.

In Seoul's Songpa ⁠district, one polling station halted voting at 4:46 p.m., resumed at 5:39 p.m. ⁠and finally closed ⁠at 10 p.m. to allow some 175 waiting ticket holders to vote, but 12 voters who had received waiting tickets did ‌not ‌return, the NEC official said.