Seoul, June 9 (IANS) South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok said on Tuesday he seriously takes the shocking shortage of ballot papers at dozens of polling stations in last week’s nationwide local elections, stressing that suffrage is the foundation of democracy. Kim made the remark at the start of a youth policy meeting with related ministers, saying he was ashamed of the incident.”We should have been more sensitive to such issues and should’ve responded more quickly to come up with solutions,…
Latest National Election Commission News & Updates
Seoul, June 8 (IANS) South Korean President Lee Jae Myung vowed to pursue sweeping reforms to election administration during a meeting with the country’s top officials Monday after ballot paper shortages during local elections raised questions about election management. Lee made the pledge in the meeting attended by Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, National Assembly Speaker Cho Jeong-sik, Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae and Constitutional Court President Kim Sang-hwan.The meeting came after …
Seoul, June 8 (IANS) The rival parties in South Korea each submitted a request Monday for a parliamentary investigation into an unprecedented shortage of ballots in last week’s local elections, both calling for a thorough probe into what caused the incident but differing over its scope. The ruling Democratic Party (DP) and the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) separately filed their requests at the National Assembly’s bills division but said they will hold follow-up discussions to narrow …
Seoul, June 7 (IANS) South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Sunday expressed deep regret over ballot shortages that disrupted last week’s local elections and ordered the launch of a thorough joint investigation by prosecutors and police into the matter. “The people’s right to vote is a constitutional right that must not be restricted or infringed upon for any reason, and this is a serious issue that undermines the foundation of popular sovereignty,” Lee wrote in a message on X, formerly Twitter…
Seoul, June 7 (IANS) Thousands of protesters continued to stage a rally near a vote-counting facility in eastern Seoul in South Korea for the third day Sunday, claiming last week’s local elections were fraudulent and demanding a new election. According to an unofficial police estimate, approximately 3,000 people surrounded SK Olympic Handball Gymnasium in Songpa Ward as of noon. Police estimated a crowd of 30,000 had gathered the previous day.Protesters are currently gathered at each of the eigh…
Seoul, June 4 (IANS) South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said Thursday he would “humbly” accept the public sentiment reflected in the results of the recent local elections, pledging to cooperate actively with newly elected local governments regardless of political affiliation. Lee made the remarks during a meeting with senior aides at Cheong Wa Dae, a day after local elections and parliamentary by-elections in which his ruling Democratic Party (DP) won the majority of the seats up for grabs.The…
Seoul, May 30 (IANS) Voters across the country headed to the polls Saturday on the second and last day of early voting for next week’s nationwide local elections, which will decide the next mayors and governors of major local governments, including Seoul and Busan.More than 6.86 million people, or 15.38 per cent, out of 44.6 million registered voters cast their ballots as of 11 a.m. after early voting began at 6 a.m. the previous day, according to the NEC.The voter turnout was higher than the 13…
Seoul, Jan 6 (IANS) Police in South Korea on Tuesday raided a special counsel office, as part of their investigation into allegations that the Ministry of Justice attempted to secure detention space within correctional facilities following the martial law declaration in December 2024. A special investigation team from the Korean National Police Agency sent investigators to the office of special counsel Cho Eun-suk in southern Seoul in the morning to secure the detention space-related data from d…
Seoul, Dec 30 (IANS) A Seoul court on Tuesday combined the insurrection trials of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, former Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun and former police chief Cho Ji-ho over their involvement in last year’s failed martial law bid into a single trial. The announcement came during Yoon’s trial hearing on charges of leading an insurrection at the Seoul Central District Court, which had been conducted separately from the trials of former military and defence officials, …