S. Korea's PM Apologizes for Ballot Shortage in Local Elections

SEOUL, June 9 (Yonhap) -- Prime Minister Kim Min-seok said 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, but we couldn't. It was truly regrettable and it reinforced our sense of responsibility," Kim said. Ballot shortages led to the temporary suspension of voting at 26 stations in Seoul and elsewhere in the June 3 elections, something unheard of in South Korea's election history. The incident sparked public outrage and younger voters in their 20s and 30s have been holding protests around a ballot counting place in Seoul's southern district of Jamsil for the fifth day on Tuesday. President Lee Jae Myung has pledged a thorough investigation and measures to overhaul the National Election Commission.