Application to Preserve Ballots and Ballot Boxes Stored at Jamsil Polling Station Dismissed
Verification of Jamsil 7-dong No. 2 Polling Station Scheduled for Tomorrow at 3 PM,
(Seoul=Yonhap News) Reporter Hyunyoung Jo = On the 5th, a box of ballots, presumed to have been sent by the old National Election Commission to this polling station, was discovered inside the Jamsil 7-dong No. 2 polling station in Songpa-gu, Seoul, where ballot boxes were transported.
The ‘number of printed ballots’ on the box’s surface indicated a total of 1,900 ballots. It was labeled ‘Box 1 of 1’, suggesting there are no other ballot boxes. The number of voters at this polling station was found to be 3,856. 2026.6.5 [email protected],
(Seoul=Yonhap News) Reporters Dhlee and Hyunyoung Jo = The court has ordered the preservation of some ballot storage boxes connected to the ballot shortage incident during the June 3 local elections as evidence.’,
On the 9th, Seoul Eastern District Court’s Civil Division 51 (Presiding Judge Kim Ji-yeon) partially accepted the application of Kim Jeong-cheol, a leader from the Re:form Party, to preserve evidence, including the ballot storage box.
The targets for preservation include the ballot storage box labeled ‘1,900 printed ballots’ stored at the Jamsil 7-dong No. 2 polling station and its packaging material.
This also includes CCTV footage capturing scenes of polling stations and ballot box storage from June 3 at 8 AM to June 5 at 9 PM at ten polling stations in Songpa-gu, where the ballot shortage incident occurred.
Additionally, it was instructed to preserve group chat records, messenger, and text message logs between Election Commission staff during the ballot shortage incident.
However, applications concerning the main ballots used at the Songpa polling stations where the shortage occurred and subsequent ballot boxes moved to the Jamsil area counting center, the Handball Stadium at Olympic Park, were dismissed.
The court stated, “It’s difficult to see any connection to the facts needing proof, or any reason that makes it challenging to conduct a pre-election dispute evidence investigation beforehand.”
As evidence, the ballot storage box to be preserved is considered an item showing inadequate management practices by the Election Commission.
The front of the box labeled ‘number of printed ballots’ stated a total of 1,900. It’s labeled ‘Box 1 of 1’. The number of voters at this polling station was identified as 3,856, indicating that only 49.3% of the voters were accounted for, falling short of the ‘minimum 50% ballot printing’ guideline.
Consequently, before the end of the main voting at this polling station, the prepared ballots were completely exhausted, leading to voters leaving without casting their votes. CCTV footage likely captures this confusion.
In group chat content among Election Commission staff, it is expected to reveal when the ballot shortage incident began and what countermeasures were taken.
In prior released group chat exchanges involving Election Commission staff and administrative staff from Songpa-gu Office, around 2 PM on the day of the election, concerns about ballot shortages surged, and by past 4 PM, reports of halted voting were frequent.
Despite this, it is claimed by the Korea Government Employees’ Union (KGEU) that the Election Commission failed to take significant action, resulting in an unprecedented suspension of voting and extension of voting hours.
The evidence preservation application for ballots and ballot boxes stored at the Handball Stadium, where the fifth day of a ‘Jamsil Counting Center Blockade Protest’ is occurring, was dismissed.
The court determined separate evidence preservation was unnecessary since the ballots or ballot boxes are under National Election Commission management.
Conversely, concern over potential evidence damage through deletion or appropriation resulted in the court deciding to preserve evidence like CCTV footage and ballot boxes discovered in the polling station.
Presiding Judge Kim Ji-yeon, who made this decision, will visit the Jamsil 7-dong No. 2 polling station on the afternoon of the 10th for an on-site inspection. This polling station is where the voting time was extended and a 2-night, 3-day occupation situation unfolded.
It is anticipated that Judge Kim will seal evidence at this location and transfer it to a separate storage location within the court.
The evidence preservation application was submitted by Kim Jeong-cheol, who had run for Mayor of Seoul, to secure evidence prior to filing an election nullification lawsuit. The court made its decision based on Kim’s application on the 8th.
Kim claims election procedural violations occurred due to the ballot shortage incident, resulting in voters abandoning their intent to vote and extended termination of voting time.
An election complaint disputing the effectiveness of the Seoul mayoral election must be filed within 14 days of the election date.