Election watchdog rejects PPP petitions over Seoul, Busan mayoral races

South Korea’s election watchdog on Wednesday rejected election petitions filed by the main opposition People Power Party seeking to invalidate the results of the Seoul and Busan mayoral elections and several other local races. In its decisions, the National Election Commission acknowledged that ballot shortages and voting suspensions during the June 3 local elections had violated election rules but concluded that the irregularities did not affect the outcomes. “Although violations of election re