"Left to Eat with Ballot Papers in Hand"... Controversy over Ballot Papers Taken Outside on First Day of Early Voting

by Park Jisoo

Published 29 May.2025 17:44(KST)

Updated 29 May.2025 17:57(KST)

Election Commission: "We Are Currently Checking the Facts"

On the first day of early voting for the 21st presidential election, there was a situation in which ballot papers were seen being taken outside a polling station in downtown Seoul.

On the morning of the 29th, an object presumed to be a ballot paper was found outside the early voting station at Sinchon-dong Community Center in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul. Patriotic Youth Park Junyoung YouTube

On the 29th, a YouTube channel livestreamed footage showing citizens holding ballot papers and return envelopes outside the entrance of the early voting station at the Sinchon-dong Community Center in Seodaemun-gu.

This scene is estimated to have continued for about an hour from around 11 a.m. According to some reports, there were claims that some voters waiting for out-of-district voting left the line with their ballot papers because the queue was too long, went to eat, and then returned.

An official from the Sinchon-dong Community Center early voting station explained in an interview with Yonhap News, "The waiting line was long from 11 a.m.," and added, "Voting guides managed the line so that people could enter the polling station directly."

An official from the National Election Commission stated, "We are currently checking the facts."