(LEAD) PM urges speedy, rigorous probe into ballot shortage

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SEOUL, June 11 (Yonhap) -- Prime Minister Kim Min-seok on Thursday called for a speedy and rigorous investigation into ballot shortages reported during last week's local elections.

During a meeting with officials from the interior, justice, education and culture ministries, as well as the National Police Agency and the prosecution, Kim said bipartisan cooperation is needed to investigate the ballot shortage to solidify democracy.

His remarks came as the National Assembly launched formal procedures for a potential parliamentary investigation into ballot shortages earlier in the day.

The ballot shortage at more than a dozen polling stations in Seoul during the June 3 elections has sparked outrage and protests calling for the protection of voting rights.

Protesters continued to rally outside a vote-counting facility in Seoul for the seventh day Thursday, demanding a rerun of local elections over the ballot shortage row.

Tens of thousands of people had amassed over the weekend to protest the ballot shortages and block election officials from removing ballot boxes.

Prime Minister Kim Min-seok (3rd from L, back row) presides over a meeting with university students regarding the shortage of ballots during the June 3 local elections at the government complex in Seoul on June 7, 2026. (Yonhap)