South Korea ballot shortage probe: 4 more election workers to be questioned
Synopsis
South Korea's ballot-shortage probe is widening fast — four more civil servants face questioning after 12 election commission offices were raided in a single day. With protests outside a ballot-counting stadium entering their 21st day and a Korean American scholar facing defamation charges for fraud claims, the fallout from the 3 June local elections is far from over.
Key Takeaways
A joint police and prosecution team in South Korea is set to question four civil servants on 25 June over ballot shortages during the 3 June local elections.
The officials distributed ballots at two Seoul polling stations that ran out of ballot papers, causing voting to be suspended at 26 stations nationwide.
A day earlier, investigators raided offices of 12 election commission officials who oversaw affected polling stations in Seoul.
The National Election Commission has apologised for the shortages but says they do not legally warrant a rerun of the elections.
Protesters have blocked access to the Olympic Park Handball Stadium ballot-counting site for 21 consecutive days as of Thursday.
Morse Tan , facing a defamation probe over claims about President Lee Jae Myung , called for the president's resignation at a press conference outside the stadium.
A joint police and prosecution team in South Korea on Thursday, 25 June moved to question four civil servants who worked at polling stations that experienced ballot shortages during the 3 June local elections, according to legal sources. The questioning is the latest step in a widening investigation that has already seen raids on election commission offices across Seoul.
What the Investigation Covers
The four officials are said to have distributed ballots at two polling stations in Seoul that ran out of ballot papers on election day. Investigators plan to question them specifically about the National Election Commission's response measures once the shortages became apparent.
The probe centres on allegations that the election watchdog hastily decided to reduce the number of printed ballots ahead of the vote and then failed to manage the resulting shortages effectively on polling day. Voting was temporarily suspended at 26 polling stations across the country as a result.
Raids and Escalating Scrutiny
The questioning session follows a major enforcement action a day earlier, when the joint investigation team raided the offices of 12 election commission officials who had overseen polling stations in Seoul where shortages occurred. The sequence of raids and summonses signals that investigators are methodically working up the chain of responsibility within the commission.
The National Election Commission has publicly apologised for the ballot shortages but maintains that, under existing election law, the shortages do not meet the legal threshold for ordering a rerun of the elections.
Protests Enter 21st Day
Outside the Olympic Park Handball Stadium in southern Seoul — which served as a ballot-counting site during the elections — demonstrators demanding a fresh vote rallied for the 21st consecutive day on Thursday. Protesters have blocked access to the stadium since 5 June to prevent the removal of ballot boxes stored inside.
At the same venue, Morse Tan, a Korean American scholar who has made repeated claims of election fraud in South Korea, held a press conference. Tan, who is himself facing a police probe over allegations of defaming President Lee Jae Myung, called on the president to resign over what he characterised as election fraud — a claim that has not been independently verified.
Tan's Background and Legal Exposure
Tan had failed to appear for a scheduled police questioning session earlier on Thursday but said at the press conference that he was willing to undergo questioning. He has previously alleged at a press conference in the United States that President Lee was involved in a murder case as a teenager and had been sent to a juvenile detention centre — claims that remain disputed and are the basis of the defamation probe against him.
With investigators escalating their work and protests showing no sign of abating, the coming days are likely to determine whether the ballot shortage inquiry broadens into a formal challenge to the election result.
Point of View
The involvement of Morse Tan — a figure already under a defamation probe — risks muddying legitimate accountability questions with unverified fraud claims, giving authorities a convenient foil. The real test is whether the joint investigation team's findings compel a statutory review of the result, or whether the legal threshold for a rerun proves too high to clear regardless of what the probe uncovers.
NationPress
25 Jun 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are South Korean election workers being investigated?
Four civil servants are being questioned as part of a joint police and prosecution probe into ballot shortages that temporarily suspended voting at 26 polling stations during the 3 June local elections. Investigators are examining whether the National Election Commission wrongly reduced the number of printed ballots and failed to manage shortages effectively on election day.
What did investigators do before questioning these four officials?
A day before the 25 June questioning, the joint team raided the offices of 12 election commission officials who had overseen affected polling stations in Seoul. The raids and summonses together indicate a systematic effort to establish the chain of responsibility within the commission.
Will South Korea hold a rerun of the June 3 elections?
The National Election Commission says the ballot shortages do not meet the legal threshold for ordering a rerun under South Korean election law. The commission has apologised for the shortages but maintains the result stands, a position protesters and some critics continue to contest.
Who is Morse Tan and why is he significant to this story?
Morse Tan is a Korean American scholar who has made public claims of election fraud in South Korea. He is currently facing a police probe over allegations of defaming President Lee Jae Myung, including past claims that Lee was involved in a murder case as a teenager. On 25 June, Tan called for the president's resignation at a press conference outside the Olympic Park Handball Stadium.
How long have protests continued after the June 3 elections?
Protesters have been rallying outside the Olympic Park Handball Stadium in southern Seoul for 21 consecutive days as of Thursday, 25 June. They have blocked access to the stadium — used as a ballot-counting site — since 5 June to prevent removal of ballot boxes stored inside.
