NEC Moves 'Olympic Park Ballots' to Secure Warehouse; Ruling and Opposition Parties Differ in Assessment

Transferred to an NEC-designated secure warehouse if no irregularities are found
Democratic Party of Korea: "Ballot shortage enters its final stages"
People Power Party: "Special prosecution investigation and accountability efforts must continue"

Ballots that have been stored at the Handball Gymnasium in Olympic Park, Songpa-gu, Seoul, for 147 days since the ballot shortage during the June 3 local elections will be moved on the 28th to a separate facility managed by the National Election Commission (NEC), following an on-site inspection by the special prosecution team.

According to the NEC, of the approximately 2.47 million ballots subject to the on-site inspection that day, those found to have no irregularities will be transferred to a secure warehouse designated by the commission.

On the 28th, Lee Tae-han, officials from the Election Commission special prosecutor team, clerks and observers prepare for the public verification of ballots for the June 3 local elections at the Handball Gymnasium in Olympic Park, Songpa-gu, Seoul. Photo courtesy of the Joint Press Corps.

Ballots found to have irregularities during the inspection will be sorted separately and subjected to detailed examination. The special prosecution team plans to use the findings as investigation materials in the future.

An NEC official described the destination as “an NEC-managed warehouse equipped with complete security facilities.” The warehouse is reportedly located in the Seoul metropolitan area.

Under the Public Official Election Act, the ballots moved to the warehouse will be kept for the winning candidates’ terms of office, like ballots from other elections.

Article 186 of the Public Official Election Act stipulates that “all documents related to an election must be kept during the winning candidate’s term of office.” However, if no election lawsuit is filed, the retention period may be shortened under the relevant regulations.

As the on-site inspection of approximately 2.47 million ballots stored at the Handball Gymnasium got underway that morning, the ruling and opposition parties took differing positions on the process.

The Democratic Party of Korea viewed the ballot shortage during the June 3 local elections as having effectively entered its final stages, given that the special prosecution team had also conducted a recount.

The People Power Party, by contrast, stressed that the inspection that day was only one part of the special prosecution team’s investigation. It said the team should continue examining the ballot shortage, allegations of voter turnout manipulation, and the NEC’s overall poor management, and determine who is responsible.

Even after the on-site inspection is completed, controversy is expected to continue over how the ballot shortage occurred and who was responsible for election administration.

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