National Election Commission chief offers to resign after ballot shortage debacle in Seoul

National Election Commission (NEC) Chairman Roh Tae-ak offered to resign on Friday, two days after ballot shortages disrupted voting at some southern Seoul polling stations during the June 3 local elections.

“I take full responsibility for what has occurred and will step down as chair of the NEC,” Roh said in a televised public apology delivered at the institution’s headquarters in Gyeonggi’s Gwacheon at 4 p.m.

Roh also noted that Secretary-General Heo Cheol-hoon had expressed his intention to resign to take responsibility as head of the agency’s secretariat.

“I am deeply sorry for the concern and distress caused to the public by the ballot shortage that occurred at some polling stations during the June 3 local elections,” Roh said.

Roh noted that the local elections had been “fully completed as the vote-counting in Songpa District was concluded on Friday.”

“The ballot shortage incident has undermined the high level of public interest in local autonomy and governance and strong civic engagement, all of which were proven through the voting,” Roh said. “I am devastated by the damage this has done to public trust in election administration and the doubts it has cast over the electoral process as the [NEC] chair. There would be no excuse for a failure that infringed upon the fundamental right to vote.”

Roh pledged to establish a fact-finding committee as quickly as possible to determine the cause of the ballot shortage and review how it was handled. The committee will also prepare measures to prevent a recurrence.

“The committee will be composed entirely of external experts to ensure an objective and thorough probe,” Roh said. “I will fully cooperate with any investigation into the commission’s handling of this incident, including a parliamentary inquiry, and I will not shy away from any responsibility.”

The Blue House also "took the resignations with a heavy heart."

"It is only right that the NEC, which has caused grave concerns to the public, take necessary steps that the public can accept, along with detailed explanations," an official from the presidential office said. "It must also recover the trust of the people through an overview of the election process and come up with adequate improvements."

On the same day, the Seoul municipal Election Commission issued its public apology — the first of its kind since the ballot shortage.

“I deeply regret that our mismanagement of the election process undermined public trust, and I sincerely apologize to the people of Seoul and the nation,” said Oh Min-seok, chief of the city’s election commission.

“We failed to adequately prepare for a situation in which voter turnout would exceed expectations, and we did not respond swiftly enough once the problem emerged,” Oh said. He also noted that there was “no excuse” for the mismanagement.

He also extended his apologies to election officials and poll workers, who continued to perform election duties despite long hours and severe exhaustion after the voting delay.

“The Seoul Metropolitan Election Commission takes this matter extremely seriously and will conduct a thorough investigation into what happened and why, following the completion of vote counting in Songpa District,” Oh said. He also vowed to make an all-out effort to prevent similar accidents from happening again.

BY CHO MUN-GYU [lee.soojung1@joongang.co.kr]