▲ This photo, taken June 15, 2026, shows the National Election Commission's headquarters in Gwacheon, just south of Seoul. (Yonhap)

(LEAD) ballot shortage-probe

(LEAD) Investigators to question election workers over ballot shortage

(ATTN: UPDATES with police chief's remarks in last 3 paras)

SEOUL, June 22 (Yonhap) -- Investigators on Monday were set to question a group of civil servants who worked at polling stations that experienced ballot shortages during the June 3 local elections, legal sources said.

Eight individuals have been asked to appear before a joint police and prosecution team investigating the ballot shortages that temporarily suspended voting at 26 polling stations across the nation.

The civil servants in question are said to have been mobilized to manage two polling stations in Seoul that experienced ballot paper shortages.

Investigators plan to question them about the election watchdog's response measures to the shortages at the time, according to the informed sources.

The move comes after the joint investigation team raided the National Election Commission (NEC) on June 11 as part of its investigation into the shortages.

The shortages have sparked public backlash, leading to continued protests outside a gymnasium in southern Seoul that served as a ballot counting center, with some protesters demanding a rerun of the elections.

The protests at the SK Olympic Handball Gymnasium have continued for 18 consecutive days as of Monday, with protesters blocking the entrances to the venue in a bid to prevent officials from removing ballot boxes inside.

While the NEC has apologized for the ballot shortages, it says they do not warrant a rerun under the election law.

Yoo Jae-seong, acting chief of the National Police Agency, stressed the need for "social consensus" to remove the ballot boxes inside the gymnasium, saying the police have refrained from forcibly dispersing the protesters.

Yoo told reporters in a briefing that the police have to consider public safety and other factors in dealing with the protests, noting that the rallies do not have a specific organizer.

He said the police are currently investigating 36 cases in connection with the protests, including an alleged illegal search of members of the women's national youth handball team by some protesters.

Yoo reaffirmed the police will take "swift and stern" measures against serious illegal acts by protesters.

(END)

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