South Korea’s main opposition party filed a police complaint against President Lee Jae-myung on June 1, accusing him of violating election law by exposing a marked ballot during early voting for the upcoming local elections.
People Power Party Chairman Jang Dong-hyeok and other senior officials traveled to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency to lodge the complaint. The filing alleges violations of the Public Official Election Act and names both Lee and election officials from the National Election Commission who were present at the polling station.
The incident occurred on Friday, when Lee stepped out of a voting booth during the early voting period for the June 3 local elections. According to opposition accounts, the president approached an election official and asked whether a partially stamped ballot would remain valid, an action that the People Power Party said violates statutory protections for secret voting.
Jang said Lee’s handling of the ballot cannot be treated as a simple procedural error.
“This is not about one person,” Jang said. “It is about protecting the law and the principles of elections.”
The opposition’s complaint also targets the election officials at the polling station. The People Power Party alleged that the commissioners failed to take proper corrective action after Lee allegedly exposed the ballot, opening them to potential claims of dereliction of duty alongside the election law violations.
The ruling Democratic Party swiftly rejected the complaint, characterizing the incident as a minor administrative inquiry that the opposition has inflated into a political offensive days before voters head to the polls. The ruling party said Lee only asked an official to verify whether the stamp mark was properly placed and emphasized that he did not reveal support for any specific candidate.
The National Election Commission previously addressed the incident, stating that Lee did not leave the polling station and did not intentionally expose the ballot. The commission said the president returned to the voting booth and completed his ballot after receiving guidance from on-site staff, concluding that the exchange did not constitute a legal violation.
In addition to the ballot dispute, the People Power Party raised concerns about Lee’s public campaign appearances ahead of the local vote. Opposition officials cited recent visits by the president to traditional markets, arguing those appearances could violate statutory restrictions on election involvement by sitting public officials.
The complaint adds further friction to the political environment surrounding South Korea’s local elections on June 3. The vote is closely watched as an early indicator of public confidence in Lee’s tenure, and the opposition’s legal challenge is likely to dominate campaign coverage in the final days before polling stations open.