A key storage box linked to a Seoul ballot shortage disappeared Wednesday, the day after a court ordered its preservation. The absence immediately deepened doubts about vote handling in the June 3 local elections. Court officials discovered the missing storage box while inspecting evidence at the Songpa-gu polling station. The Songpa District Election Commission then stated it did not possess the item.
The commission further explained it had no legal duty to keep the box. Officials asserted the object was not an official ballot box. Moreover, the polling site had already resumed operations as a senior welfare center before the court order arrived. Meanwhile, the storage box had drawn sharp attention after protesters entered the station during ballot transfers. A label on the box indicated it once held 1,900 ballots.
Reform Party candidate Kim Jeong-cheol had requested the evidence preservation. He argued the storage box could prove whether the station prepared enough ballots. Indeed, the station initially readied ballots for only 49.3 percent of registered voters. This figure fell below the National Election Commission’s internal 50 percent guideline. Consequently, the missing storage box now threatens to undermine confidence in the entire count.
In response, the commission claimed the box held no official status. However, candidate Kim insisted the item remained critical for any election dispute. The court also ordered preservation of surveillance footage, a group chat record, and text messages. Yet it did not extend the order to actual ballot boxes. Therefore, Kim signaled he may now seek preservation of those ballot boxes at the counting center.
The controversy exposes gaps in election material custody protocols. It also heightens political pressure on the Songpa election body. Critics immediately renewed calls for a rerun of the local elections. Looking ahead, the missing storage box will likely spur further legal challenges and legislative scrutiny. The commission faces an urgent need to clarify its handling of evidence. Otherwise, the dispute may erode public trust in the electoral process for months to come.
