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NEC comes under fire for multiple ballot mishandling cases, public disturbances witnessed at polling booths

Published: 30 May. 2025, 20:19

Voters line up to cast their ballots at the Sinchon-dong early voting station set up at the former Sinchon-dong Community Service Center in Seodaemun District, western Seoul, on the second day of early voting for the 21st presidential election on May 30. [YONHAP]

The National Election Commission (NEC) is under fire once again over poor oversight and administrative lapses during the early voting period from Thursday to Friday for the 21st presidential election in Korea.

Despite issuing a public apology, the commission is facing mounting criticism and growing distrust among voters, with experts calling for significant reforms to restore credibility.

Early Friday morning, officials discovered two leftover ballots from last year's April legislative election in early voting stations in Bucheon’s Sinheung-dong and Gimpo’s Janggi-dong in Gyeonggi, according to the NEC and police the same day.

Election officials and observers identified the ballots during preopening checks and promptly removed them before voting began.

“We are currently investigating how the general election ballots ended up in the ballot boxes,” an NEC official said. “Since we removed them before voting started, the integrity of the process was not compromised.”

In another troubling development, a poll worker was caught casting a fraudulent vote.

Seoul’s Suseo Police Precinct on Thursday arrested a woman in her 60s, a contract worker with the Gangnam District Health Center, on charges of proxy voting.

The woman allegedly used her husband’s ID to vote around noon on Thursday, then returned five hours later to cast her own vote. She had been responsible for verifying voter identities and issuing ballots at the Daechi 2-dong polling station in Gangnam, southern Seoul.

Voters cast their ballots at an early voting station set up at the Sajik-dong Community Service Center in Jongno District, central Seoul, on the second day of early voting for the 21st presidential election on May 30. [NEWS1]

Authorities apprehended her following a report by an election observer.

“She has admitted to the charges, but has not disclosed her motive,” a police spokesperson said. “We are also investigating whether her husband was involved.”

Another incident at a former polling station in Sinchon-dong, western Seoul, on Thursday left 30 to 40 voters waiting outside after they received ballots and return envelopes prematurely.

The NEC’s mishandling of early voting procedures has sparked public outrage for the second consecutive day, and public confidence in the commission continues to erode.

On Thursday, the civic group People's Welfare Countermeasure Committee filed a complaint against NEC Chairman Roh Tae-ak and other senior officials with the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors’ Office, accusing them of dereliction of duty.

The NEC issued a public apology the same day, pledging to improve oversight and ensure voters can cast ballots with confidence. Still, concerns persist.

Two individuals claiming to monitor the election sit outside an early voting station in Yeongdeungpo District, western Seoul, filming voters, on May 30. They installed a shade tent near the site and alleged possible manipulation of the early voting process. [JOONGANG ILBO]

At several polling stations all over the country, individuals claiming to be members of citizen-led election monitoring groups stood watch outside voting areas.

Near a polling station in Daerim-dong in western Seoul, two self-proclaimed monitors filmed voters entering the site, claiming they were checking whether Chinese nationals were participating in the vote.

“We verify voter identity twice through both national ID and fingerprint, so these accusations are absurd,” said the site manager. “But we lack legal means to stop their filming, even though voters are complaining.”

In some cases, the backlash has escalated into illegal activity.

Police in Guro District arrested a man and woman at 3:50 a.m. Friday for trespassing after they broke into the district’s election office, claiming they were there to “monitor for fraud.”

On Jeju Island, a voter caused a scene and assaulted an election supervisor while shouting accusations of election tampering.

One incident in Seongbok-dong in Yongin, Gyeonggi, on Friday raised suspicions of a staged provocation. A complaint was made to police alleging that a ballot pre-marked for Democratic Party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung was found partially folded inside a return envelope.

An NEC spokesperson said, “We believe the voter may have been handed a pre-filled ballot and tried to create confusion by submitting it in a blank return envelope. We plan to refer the matter to the police.”

Election officials monitor CCTV footage of storage areas for early voting ballot boxes at the National Election Commission’s central election control center in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi, on the morning of May 30, the second day of early voting for the 21st presidential election. [NEWS1]

Experts call for accountability and reform

Experts stress that the NEC must demonstrate stronger oversight to regain public trust.

“Some lapses may have occurred in the effort to provide voter convenience, but quick apologies and corrective measures are necessary to rebuild trust,” said Lee Joon-han, a professor of political science at Incheon National University.

Chae Jin-won of Kyung Hee University’s Institute of Public Governance said, “The NEC has apologized for certain lapses, but in some cases, they’ve tried to avoid responsibility by citing a lack of regulations. They need to revise internal protocols and strengthen oversight.”

Legal experts also argue that temporary government workers involved in elections require more training.

“The NEC should assume greater responsibility by deploying more of its own staff, and local government officials should be given only auxiliary roles,” Lee Sang-young, an attorney at YK Law Firm, said. “Those workers need proper training before taking on electoral duties.”

In response, an NEC official acknowledged, “Some local officials deployed to voting sites may not have been prepared to handle unexpected situations. We’ll strengthen training and distribute updated guidelines to prevent similar incidents from happening again.”

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY LEE CHAN-KYU, JUN YUL [[email protected]]