With probe into local elections extended, ballots set to be recounted next month

SEOUL, July 30 (AJP) - Ballots from the June 3 local elections kept in southern Seoul are expected to be opened and recounted next month as part of a parliamentary investigation into a shortage of ballot papers that disrupted the elections.

A parliamentary committee consisting of ruling and opposition lawmakers agreed Thursday to extend its probe into alleged irregularities during the elections by about a month until the end of August, with its initial 45-day period set to expire this weekend.

The committee also tentatively agreed to open some 380 ballot boxes containing about 2.48 million ballot papers at an indoor handball gymnasium within the Olympic Park in Songpa, which served as a ballot-counting site. The ballot papers are slated to be recounted on Aug. 18.

They have been stored there for more than a month since access to the site was restricted after protesters began holding rallies in front of the gymnasium, calling for an inquiry into the alleged infringement of their voting rights.

Thursday's extension came after the committee decided to continue discussions on election-related reform measures, with the scope of its investigation covering how the ballot paper shortage occurred, as well as any administrative lapses and management flaws at the National Election Commission (NEC), which oversees the country's elections.