South Korea's election watchdog rejects revote demand over Seoul ballot shortages

South Korea's National Election Commission rejected calls Wednesday for a revote after ballot shortages hit 14 polling stations across Seoul, ruling the incident falls short of the legal threshold for a re-election under the Public Official Election Act.

The ruling underscores the narrow legal grounds available when election-day logistics fail, and draws attention from OC LifeHub's Korean-American readership, which closely monitors political and civic developments in South Korea.

The People Power Party (PPP) called for a revote and demanded that counting be suspended at affected sites after ballot shortages disrupted voting at 14 Seoul polling stations during the June 3 election. The Korea Times reported that the commission issued an official statement rejecting both demands.

"The ballot shortages that occurred at some polling stations do not constitute grounds for postponing the election or conducting a re-election under the Public Official Election Act," the NEC said, according to The Korea Times.

Despite the PPP's objections, counting at the 14 affected stations was not halted. Ballots cast at those sites were included in the certified final tally, the Korea Times reported.

The commission did not dispute its responsibility for the disruption. "We deeply regret causing disappointment and concern to voters who visited polling stations to participate in the democratic process," the NEC said, according to The Korea Times.

The commission pledged that after the final results are released, it will publicly identify the cause of the shortages and announce measures to prevent a recurrence.

The People Power Party had not announced a formal legal challenge as of Wednesday evening. Results from all 14 affected stations remain part of the official vote count.