People Power Party lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo. [Yonhap]
People Power Party lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo. [Yonhap]

People Power Party lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo called Thursday for the resignation of National Election Commission Chairman Roh Tae-ak, along with the commission's secretary-general and all commissioners.

In a Facebook post that day, Ahn said polling stations in Seoul ran out of ballots on the June 3 local election voting day and criticized the NEC's explanation that more voters than expected had turned out. "That is utterly absurd," he wrote.

"Are South Korean citizens supposed to sprint to the polls before the ballots run out?" he said.

Ahn argued that democracy rests on three promises: every citizen can cast an equal vote, every vote must be counted, and election procedures must be applied fairly to all. "This incident broke all three at once," he said.

He said voters who did not receive ballots were discriminated against, uncounted votes were excluded from the tally, and only residents of certain areas bore the burden of that inequality. He also argued that the NEC's decision to print ballots for only half the eligible voters was not an administrative error. "It was a declaration to the other half of the public that their participation was not allowed," he said.

"The damage to public trust in voting will leave a scar on the next election and the one after that, fueling unnecessary social conflict," he added.

Ahn also called for NEC staff involved in the incident to be removed from their duties and said a swift investigation must follow.

NEC vows thorough inquiry through fact-finding committee

The National Election Commission said it would establish a fact-finding committee to fully examine the problems, causes and responsibilities stemming from the ballot shortage at some polling stations during the June 3 local elections, pledging to disclose all findings to the public.

In a press release, the NEC said the committee would be composed primarily of outside experts and would analyze voting records from the affected polling stations and gather firsthand accounts from election officials and staff about conditions at the scene.

The commission said it had decided to begin the inquiry and develop measures to prevent a recurrence as soon as vote counting — which began in the early hours of Friday — was complete. "We again sincerely apologize for the significant confusion and inconvenience caused to voters in exercising their right to vote," it said.

Meanwhile, President Lee Jae-myung expressed strong regret over the incident at the opening of a senior staff meeting he chaired at Cheong Wa Dae on Friday. "It is deeply regrettable that such an inexplicable lapse occurred in election administration, which must be held to the highest standard in a democratic republic," he said.


yul@heraldcorp.com