(LEAD) Court issues order to preserve evidence over ballot shortage

The Seoul Eastern District Court accepted a petition filed by Kim Jung-chul, the supreme council member of the minor Reform Party, to ensure the preservation of boxes and other items related to the ballot shortage.

A total of four items from the No. 2 polling station in the Jamsil 7 neighborhood, Songpa Ward, will be placed under the order, including the boxes and surveillance camera footage of the polling station, according to the court.

Records of messages and texts sent among employees of the National Election Commission (NEC) when the ballot shortage occurred were also placed under the order, the court added.

However, the court rejected other petitions to preserve evidence, including ballot boxes that were moved to another counting center.

Ballot shortages were reported at more than a dozen polling stations in Seoul during the local elections, mostly from Songpa Ward of southern Seoul, prompting a temporary suspension of voting.

Protestors have been rallying outside a vote-counting facility in Seoul for the fifth-day, demanding a rerun of last week's local elections.

Authorities move ballot boxes from the No. 2 polling station in the Jamsil 7 neighborhood, Songpa Ward, in Seoul, in this photo taken June 5, 2026. Voting was extended to 10 p.m. at the polling station due to a shortage of ballot papers. (Yonhap)