University campuses condemn 'ballot shortage crisis'... "The flower of democracy has been withered"

Voices condemning the ballot shortage during the June 3rd local elections are emerging from university campuses in downtown Seoul. At some universities, petitions are being circulated, arguing that the student government should officially condemn the situation.

At Yonsei University, a signed statement calling for a response from the student government regarding the ballot shortage was posted on the campus community, and a petition drive has begun. According to the author of the statement, approximately 270 people had participated in the petition as of 10:53 AM that day.

The author stated, "This is an incident where the citizens' right to vote was infringed upon due to the incompetence of state agencies, shaking the very foundations of democracy," and urged, "The Yonsei University Student Government should immediately convene a general student assembly to discuss the condemnation and response measures regarding the June 3rd local election ballot shortage." The author told this publication, "I plan to post a large manifesto at the student center with my fellow students this afternoon."

A master's student at Sungkyunkwan University also shared a signed manifesto on the campus community titled, "An election where procedural legitimacy has collapsed cannot be justified in the name of democracy." They wrote, "The issues of ballot shortages, voting delays, and confrontations over the removal of ballot boxes raised in this local election are serious matters that have undermined trust in the election," adding, "Voting is the flower of democracy, but the roots of that flower have rotted."

At Sogang University, a student posted a signed manifesto stating, "The state has an obligation to guarantee the voting rights of voters," and "We were denied the exercise of our sovereignty for the reason that 'ballots were insufficient,' and the flower of democracy has been withered." They pointed out, "Regardless of the logic of the ruling or opposition parties, this situation shows how lightly our society has regarded democracy."

https://n.news.naver.com/mnews/article/023/0003980183?sid=102

Source: https://theqoo.net/hot/4229967556