The June 3 local elections in South Korea have been compromised by widespread ballot shortages, leading to the resignation of the National Election Commission (NEC) leadership and coordinated protests by university students and civic groups.

6月3日在韓國舉行的地方選舉因出現大規模選票短缺而受到影響，導致國家選舉管理委員會（NEC）領導層辭職，並引發大學生與公民團體發起協調抗議。

The crisis originated from a December 10 administrative decision by the NEC to reduce the minimum ballot preparation rate from 60 percent to 50 percent. This modification was executed without formal committee deliberation, approved instead by two subordinates. Consequently, 91 polling stations experienced shortages, totaling 7,194 missing ballots. In specific jurisdictions, such as Songpa-gu, preparation rates fell below the 50 percent threshold, with some stations operating at 45.5 percent. The lack of standardized contingency protocols and insufficient staffing—ranging from only 6 to 13 personnel per local commission—further impeded the distribution of supplementary materials.

這次危機源於NEC在12月10日做出的行政決定，將選票準備的最低比例從60%降低至50%。此修改在未經委員會正式審議的情況下，由兩名下屬批准後執行。結果導致91個投票站出現短缺，共缺失7,194張選票。在特定行政區，如松坡區，準備率低於50%的門檻，部分投票站僅為45.5%。由於缺乏標準化的應急方案且人力不足——每個地方委員會僅有6至13名人員——進一步阻礙了補充材料的分發。

Stakeholder positioning has diverged along institutional and political lines. Student bodies from 16 to 18 universities have issued simultaneous declarations characterizing the shortage as a state-led violation of fundamental democratic rights. While these groups demand a special counsel probe and structural NEC reform, they have explicitly sought to distance their movement from far-right allegations of systemic election rigging. Conversely, the People Power Party has utilized the instability to advocate for nationwide reelections. Legal complications have intensified following the discovery that a critical storage box, ordered for preservation by the Seoul Eastern District Court to verify ballot counts, has gone missing from a polling station in Jamsil 7-dong.

利益相關者的立場依據體制與政治路線而分歧。16至18所大學的學生組織發表同步聲明，將選票短缺定性為國家主導對基本民主權利的侵害。雖然這些團體要求委任特別檢察官調查並對NEC進行結構性改革，但他們明確表示要將其運動與極右翼關於系統性操縱選舉的指控區分開。相反，國民力量黨則利用不穩定局面，主張在全國範圍內重新選舉。在發現一個被首爾東部地方法院命令保留以核對票數的關鍵儲存箱，於蠶室7洞的一個投票站失蹤後，法律複雜度進一步增加。

Historical and political antecedents inform the current volatility. This election cycle represents the first nationwide vote following the removal of former President Yoon Suk Yeol due to his 2024 martial law declaration. The resulting transition to the administration of President Lee Jae Myung has occurred against a backdrop of heightened sensitivity regarding electoral integrity, as evidenced by the continued blockade of the SK Olympic Handball Gymnasium counting center.

歷史與政治前因影響了目前的波動局勢。此次選舉週期是前總統尹錫悅因2024年宣布戒嚴而被免職後，首次進行的全國性投票。向總統李在明政府的過渡，是在對選舉誠信高度敏感的背景下發生的，SK奧林匹克手球體育館開票中心持續被封鎖便證明了這一點。

The current situation remains unstable, characterized by ongoing judicial evidence collection and sustained demands for institutional reform and potential reelections.

目前局勢依然不穩定，特徵為司法證據的搜集仍在進行，且對體制改革與潛在重新選舉的要求持續高漲。