Protests for Election Re-run Continue in Seoul, Opposition Proposes Talks

SEOUL, June 13 (Yonhap) -- Protests demanding a re-run of last week's local elections marred by ballot shortages continued for the ninth day Saturday morning, though participants decreased sharply compared with the previous night.

About 700 protesters chanted slogans and waved national flags around SK Olympic Handball Gymnasium in Seoul's southern district of Jamsil as of 9 a.m., down from some 8,000 people gathered Friday night.

The protests were sparked by the unprecedented ballot shortages in the June 3 mayoral and gubernatorial elections. According to the National Election Commission, voting was suspended at 26 polling stations across the nation and some voters were reported to have returned home without casting their votes due to the lack of ballot papers.

The protests had grown to some 30,000 people, many of them in their 20s and 30s, last weekend, but has since gradually decreased, with many older people replacing younger voters at weekday rallies.

The NEC has apologized, saying it failed to print enough ballot papers due to an incorrect prediction of voter turnout. However, it has maintained that the ballot shortages neither warrant a re-run nor altered the election results.

Besides ballot shortages, NEC officials were found to have made other mistakes, including errors when entering candidates' vote counts into the computer network in some districts, further damaging the NEC's already bad image sullied by ethical lapses, such as the nepotistic hiring of relatives, and fueling calls for its dismantlement.

The NEC is an independent constitutional organization and is not subject to any outside audit, a measure aimed originally at shielding the agency from political influence. But critics say the problems within the agency have worsened due to such privileges.

President Lee Jae Myung has promised a thorough probe and measures to overhaul the election watchdog.

A joint investigation team of the prosecution and police has banned former NEC Chairperson Roh Tae-ak from leaving the country.

Also on Saturday, Rep. Jang Dong-hyeok, leader of the main opposition People Power Party, proposed a meeting with Prime Minister Kim Min-seok and ruling Democratic Party leader Jung Chung-rae to discuss an election re-run and a special counsel investigation.

"Let's meet even today," Jang said in a social media post. "Whatever format is fine. A three-way meeting is also good."