A shortage of printed voting papers at several polling stations in Songpa-gu, Seoul, led to voter crowds and calls to suspend vote counting.

The incident raises significant concerns regarding the administrative competence of the Central Election Commission and the potential for disenfranchisement in a critical district.

On June 3, 2026, officials at the Jamsil-7-dong polling station No. 2 faced a crisis when the Central Election Commission printed only about 50% [1] of the ballots required for the district. This shortfall left approximately 100 voters [1] waiting in lines as the station struggled to provide the necessary documents for casting votes.

The lack of materials triggered chaos at the scene. Some individuals attempted to block the removal of ballot boxes as tensions rose among the crowd. The administrative failure forced election officials to manage a surge of frustrated citizens who were unable to vote promptly due to the missing papers.

Oh Se-hoon, leader of the People Power Party, responded to the shortage by demanding a pause in the electoral process. He said vote counting should be suspended until preliminary measures are completed.

The Central Election Commission confirmed the printing error, saying that only 50% [1] of the papers for the total number of voters in Songpa-gu had been printed. The commission has not yet detailed how the miscalculation occurred or what steps are being taken to prevent similar errors in other districts.

“The Central Election Commission printed only about 50% of the ballots required for the district”

The failure to print a basic requirement for the democratic process—ballots—creates a vacuum of trust in the electoral system. When a major political figure like Oh Se-hoon calls for a halt in counting, it suggests that the administrative error may be viewed as a systemic failure rather than a simple clerical mistake, potentially leading to legal challenges over the legitimacy of the results in Songpa-gu.