South Korea: Voters protest ballot shortage at polling station in Seoul.

SHOTLIST: SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA (JUNE 3, 2026) (NIGHT SHOTS) 1. TOP SHOT OF PROTESTERS GATHERING ON STREET 2. VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS GATHERING OUTSIDE POLLING STATION, HOLDING BANNERS AND FLAGS, CHANTING SLOGANSSEOUL, SOUTH KOREA - JUNE 3: Voters gathered outside a polling station in Seoul on Wednesday, June 3, to protest a shortage of ballot papers during South Korea's ninth simultaneous local elections. The protest took place in the Jamsil-dong area, where citizens said disruptions had occurred in the voting process due to an insufficient number of ballots. Demonstrators voiced their dissatisfaction and chanted slogans outside the polling station. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung’s ruling party is considered likely to secure big wins after millions cast ballot in local elections, with turnout surpassing 60%, on Wednesday, a year after the Democratic Party formed its government. The ruling Democratic Party of Korea "is projected to win 11 of the 17 major metropolitan gubernatorial and mayoral races, with 4 too close to call and 1 going to the (opposition) People Power Party," Joong Ang Daily reported. Voting stations closed at 6 pm (0900GMT) on Wednesday in the ninth nationwide polls, for a term of four years, since autonomy was restored to local governance units in 1995, according to the National Election Commission. The turnout surpassed 60%, marking the highest participation rate since the first nationwide local elections in 1995, Yonhap News reported. According to the National Election Commission, more than 27.1 million of the 44.64 million eligible voters cast their ballots. The 60.7% turnout surpassed the 60.2% recorded in 2018, and far exceeded the 50.9% turnout in the previous local elections in 2022. Polling stations had opened, and voting kicked off at 6 am local time on Wednesday (2100GMT Tuesday). Some people were still waiting to cast a vote due to a shortage of ballot papers caused by higher voter turnout. Former opposition leader Han Dong-hoon was also expected to win his parliamentary seat in the by-election. More than 14,000 polling stations operated across the country. However, over 10 million people already cast their ballots in early voting that concluded Saturday. According to the National Election Commission, 7,813 candidates are contesting the elections across the country. A non-Korean citizen registered in a relevant local constituency who has had a resident visa for at least three years has the right to vote in local elections. They cannot cast ballots in presidential and parliamentary polls. Exit polls will be released immediately as voting ends, while the final results are expected overnight, with the winners likely to be confirmed in the early hours of Thursday. Voters are electing some 4,227 officials, including 16 metropolitan and provincial governors, 227 mayors and county chiefs, 804 metropolitan council members, 2,650 local council representatives, 16 education superintendents, and 14 lawmakers in parliamentary by-elections. The local elections and parliamentary elections are held separately, with a two-year gap, to avoid overlapping of the two national events of public significance.