Oh Se-hoon, the newly elected mayor of Seoul, has directed criticism at both the government and the National Election Commission regarding the "ballot shortage" that occurred during the June 3 local elections. Online community members have shared their opinions on the matter.
On the morning of June 4, at his campaign headquarters in Jongno, Oh stated, "This election is a victory for common sense," adding, "The citizens of Seoul have upheld the fundamental democratic principle of checks and balances."
Oh specifically addressed the ballot shortages at 14 polling stations in districts such as Songpa and Dongjak, asserting, "It seems that the Election Commission is being held entirely responsible, but ultimately, the president bears the responsibility for everything."
He emphasized, "The Election Commission must deeply reflect on this incident. Among the public organizations I have experienced, it has the least sense of urgency. We need to innovate from the ground up, with the resolve to dismantle the Election Commission. In that sense, the Ministry of the Interior and the president cannot escape responsibility either."
Oh expressed his deep regret as a candidate over the infringement of citizens' voting rights, stating, "Just because the citizens achieved a great victory, we cannot ignore this significant flaw as if nothing happened." He insisted that there must be fundamental improvements to address what went wrong.
In response to his comments, netizens reacted with remarks such as, "This is exactly why we elected him," "He needs to act decisively while the momentum is strong," and "Shouldn't the government at least offer an apology on par with that of Lee Jae-myung?"
Meanwhile, Oh Se-hoon of the People Power Party won the fiercely contested Seoul mayoral election against Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party, marking the first time a mayor has been elected for a fifth term in Seoul's history.
According to the National Election Commission on June 4, with 97.7% of the votes counted as of 9:30 a.m., Oh secured 48.94% of the vote, leading Lee by 0.6 percentage points, effectively confirming his victory. Lee has also acknowledged his defeat.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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