Following the ballot shortages, the student body of Seoul National University (SNU) issued a statement urging the state and National Election Commission (NEC) to take action and accountability, one of 18 universities that came forth across the nation on June 10th 2026.

This shortage occurred during Korea’s ninth local elections held on June 3rd, 2026, which aimed to appoint a total of 4,227 public officials nationwide. As the elections progressed, confusion began to arise from certain voting booths, culminating in the public revelation that some voting booths did not have enough ballot papers to accommodate all of its voters. Initial estimates put the number of such booths at 50, but the count soon rose to 91, with potential for further increase as investigations continue. 26 of these booths, of which 22 were located in Seoul, had so little paper that voting had to be temporarily suspended. This led to lines of potential voters being left stranded for up to 105 minutes.

In its statement, the student body of SNU outlined three demands directed towards the NEC, which administered the election and the preparation leading up to it. The first was to immediately instigate a thorough and transparent investigation into the causes and circumstances of the shortage of ballot papers. The second asked the NEC to wholly acknowledge the fact that their incompetence directly resulted in undermining the trust of the people regarding the election process, and to ensure that those involved will take rightful responsibility. Finally, the third implored that the NEC learn from this incident and use it as an opportunity to evaluate and revise the entire election preparation process, and establish effective measures to prevent recurrence.

The rest of the statement reflected much of what was discussed during the student assembly, emphasising that the ballot shortage is an explicit violation of Korean voters’ rights as some voters had to abandon their right to vote due to time constraints, and the voters who persisted received little to no information during their long wait. The student body also took care to highlight that it is not in support of or advocating for any political party. In fact, it explicitly stated that this situation is a matter of the appalling disregard for democratic rights, and should not be used as a political tool to question previous election results or raise distrust in the democratic election process as a whole.

Beginning by reminding audiences of the significance of democracy in Korea’s contemporary history, the statement referred to SNU alum and democratization activist Park Jong-chul’s unjust death by torture during former president Chun Doo-hwan’s military regime. Given that the statement was published on June 10th, the date that marked the start of the June Democratic Struggle of 1987—ignited in part by Park’s death—the impact of this reminder strikes even heavier than usual, only amplifying the emergency of the situation and the necessity for the government and the NEC to take action to secure and protect Korea’s hard-earned democracy.

The last time the SNU student body issued a similar statement was on December 5th, 2024, decrying former president Yoon Suk-yeol’s declaration of martial law and demanding his resignation. Similarly to today’s statement, the 2024 assembly urged for the restoration of the nation’s democracy aside from bipartisan interest, also beseeching students to remember Park’s legacy alongside all those who fought for democratic liberation in 1987. While the ballot shortage incident continues to be investigated, students must hold onto this unceasing democratic spirit in order to prevail. If not us, who?


This article was co-written by Kang Dayoon (A&C Editor), Chae Soomin (Editor-in-Chief), and Hyun Jooyoung (Short Articles Editor)