![National Election Commission Chairman Noh Tae-ak. [Yonhap]](https://wimg.heraldcorp.com/news/cms/2026/06/05/news-p.v1.20260605.fbeb7382031a4aeda0dc9e835e7cd0e3_P1.jpg)
National Election Commission Chairman Noh Tae-ak will issue a public apology Friday at 4 p.m. at the NEC headquarters in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, over a ballot shortage that disrupted voting at multiple polling stations. With public criticism mounting over the unprecedented incident, observers are watching closely to see whether Noh will address his future in the role.
The NEC announced the schedule in a press notice Friday.
Noh is expected to apologize for the ballot shortages at select polling stations in Seoul and brief reporters on the current situation.
On Tuesday — the voting day for the June 3 local elections — polling stations in Seoul's Gangnam-gu, Gwangjin-gu, Songpa-gu and other districts ran out of ballots, leaving voters waiting in what officials described as an unprecedented breakdown.
At the No. 2 polling station in Jamsil 7-dong, the voting deadline was extended to 10 p.m. for voters who had already received a queue number.
Protesters claiming election fraud then blockaded the station, preventing two ballot boxes from being transported. Police were eventually deployed Friday morning to escort the boxes to the counting center.
The two ballot boxes — containing votes cast by roughly 2,000 people — have yet to be counted, delaying the official declaration of final results for the June 3 local elections.
Both ruling and opposition parties have sharply criticized the ballot shortage, adding to speculation about whether Noh will announce his resignation at Friday's briefing.
yeonjoo7@heraldcorp.com
