"Ballot Papers Pre-Stamped"... 54 Election-Related 112 Reports Filed in Seoul

Dozens of 112 emergency reports were filed in connection with the 21st presidential election.

On the morning of the 3rd, citizens are voting at a polling station in Chipeong-dong, Seo-gu, Gwangju. Photo by Yonhap News

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency announced that, as of election day on the 3rd, 54 calls related to polling stations were received between 6 a.m. and noon within Seoul.

At 9:22 a.m. that day, a 56-year-old woman reported to the police from a polling station in Seocho-gu, stating that she had discovered that the serial number at the bottom of the ballot paper had been removed and that the seal had already been stamped in advance.

Upon verification by National Election Commission staff and observers from both the Democratic Party and the People Power Party, it was found that the stamps had been placed in advance to prepare for a potential rush of voters. The polling station manager reportedly responded that strict management would be maintained according to regulations.

At 11:12 a.m., a woman in her 50s who had participated in early voting visited the polling station at Suyu Elementary School in Gangbuk-gu and caused a disturbance, saying she wanted to check whether her name had been deleted from the voter list. She left the scene before the police arrived. The police stated that they would investigate depending on whether the National Election Commission files a complaint.

According to the Public Official Election Act, causing a disturbance inside a polling station or within 100 meters of a polling station is prohibited. If someone causes a disturbance in support of or opposition to a particular party or candidate, the polling station manager may intervene and order them to leave.