Prosecution-Police Joint Task Force to Probe 'Ballot Paper Shortage Incident'... Targeting Election Commission

The Joint Investigation Headquarters of prosecutors and police is set to launch a full-scale investigation to uncover the truth behind the "ballot paper shortage incident" that emerged during the June 3 local elections.

On June 5th, at the second polling station in Jamsil 7-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul, ballot boxes that had been blocked by protesters and thus could not be transported to the counting center following the shortage of ballots during the June 3 local elections are now being transported. 2026.6.5 Photo by Hyunmin Kim

On June 7, the spokesperson's office of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office stated, "Prosecutors will swiftly form a joint investigation headquarters with the police regarding the issue that hindered citizens from exercising their right to vote during the June 3 local elections. Through close cooperation with the police, we will conduct an efficient investigation to strictly clarify the public suspicions related to this incident."

Earlier the same day, President Lee Jaemyung stated on X (formerly Twitter), "I have ordered the establishment of a joint investigation headquarters involving both the prosecution and the police to clearly identify where responsibility lies and to thoroughly uncover the full circumstances of the case."

Currently, the police have received reports from civil organizations, including the Citizens’ Committee for Public Welfare, accusing election commission officials of dereliction of duty and other charges. The Metropolitan Crime Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, which has been assigned the case, had planned to summon representatives of the Citizens’ Committee for questioning as complainants at around 9:30 a.m. on June 8.

The Joint Investigation Headquarters is expected to include the police officers investigating the accusations as well as personnel from both prosecution and police who specialize in election-related cases. The Supreme Prosecutors’ Office and the National Police Agency will begin working-level discussions to determine the office location and the number of personnel to be dispatched.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.