‘It’s about democracy, suffrage, sovereignty of people’

Students at Yonsei University denounce ballot shortages in the June 3 local elections during a rally on their campus in Seodaemun District, Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap

University students across the country denounced the ballot shortages in last week's local elections as a fundamental violation of the right to vote and the Constitution, demanding sweeping reforms at the National Election Commission (NEC).

They warned the political parties, both liberal and conservative, that they should not use the issue for their own political gains, saying the students are calling for a thorough investigation to establish the reason behind the ballot shortages and measures to prevent a repeat of the incident.

Student bodies at 18 universities issued a joint declaration Wednesday, a week after at least 91 polling stations nationwide faced ballot shortages, leaving many voters unable to cast their ballots or forced to wait past the 6 p.m. closing time. Former NEC Chairman Roh Tae-ak resigned days later to take responsibility, and a joint police-prosecution investigation was launched this week.

“We gathered here not merely to speak about the flaws in the electoral system, but to speak about the one vote that was taken from us,” Hwang In-seo, emergency council head of the Yonsei University student council, said during a rally on the school campus in western Seoul's Seodaemun District. “A citizen stripped of that vote has not simply missed an election. They have been denied the rights as a sovereign citizen and turned away from democracy.”

During a similar rally at the University of Seoul, Lee Chan-min, president of the school's student council, said the shortages do not reflect a mere administrative error but a grave constitutional violation that eroded trust in the electoral process.

“If your rights depend on which polling station you went to or what time you arrived, that cannot be called democracy,” Lee said, demanding remedies for voters who were unable to cast their ballots and NEC reforms amid the decline in public trust.

In the joint declaration, the students called for a National Assembly inspection into the case and, if necessary, a special counsel investigation. They also urged structural reforms at the NEC, strict punishment of those responsible and an independent oversight body that includes youth representatives, with full transparency throughout the process.

“What the country needs is a thorough investigation to clarify the cause of the incident and effective measures to ensure this never happens again. The people of the country will watch, until the end, how political circles and state organizations will resolve the problems,” said Cha Min-hyung, president of the Underwood International College student council at Yonsei.

Lee Chan-min, front row third from left, president of the University of Seoul student council, speaks during a protest criticizing ballot shortages in the June 3 local elections at the university campus in Dongdaemun District, Seoul, Wednesday. Korea Times photo by Park Ung

The students warned that the issue should not be used by political parties for their own interests, drawing a clear line between them and some far-right groups that link the ballot shortage issue with election fraud conspiracy theories.

“This is not a question of political sides. It is a question of common sense, democracy, suffrage and sovereignty of the people,” Cha said. “I say this clearly to politicians — do not weaponize this incident for partisan warfare.”

Hwang also said that the issue should not be viewed as a fight between the liberal and conservative blocs, or the ruling and opposition parties, but an incident that highlights the need to uphold voting rights and the Constitution.

Shin Jun-hyeok, a member of the University of Seoul student council, said, “We urge the government and the National Assembly to focus on the core of the incident and try to resolve the issue, rather than focusing on political fighting.”

Oh Seung-min, president of the College of Political Science and Economics student council at the University of Seoul, recalled the 1987 June 10 Democratic Uprising, which marked its 39th anniversary on Wednesday.

The 1987 uprising, in which university students played a central role, forced former President Chun Doo-hwan's military regime to concede to the direct presidential election system, paving the way for Korean democracy.

“At every turning point toward democracy, citizens refused to stay silent, and students were always at the center,” Oh said. “Today we stand here to carry forward the democracy which was defended by those who came before through sacrifice, pledging we will never be silenced when the state infringes the very foundations of democracy.”

The joint declaration was issued simultaneously by students across 18 universities: Konkuk University, Kyung Hee University, Korea University, Pusan National University, Sogang University, Seoul National University of Science and Technology, Seoul National University, University of Seoul, Sungkyunkwan University, Sookmyung Women's University, Soongsil University, Yonsei University, Chonnam National University, Jeonbuk National University, Chungbuk National University, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, Hanyang University and Hongik University.