No Tae-ak offers public apology Friday, announces resignation

"Will cooperate fully with any National Assembly investigation"

National Election Commission Chairman No Tae-ak delivers a public apology over the ballot shortage crisis at the NEC headquarters in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, on Friday. [Yonhap]
National Election Commission Chairman No Tae-ak delivers a public apology over the ballot shortage crisis at the NEC headquarters in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, on Friday. [Yonhap]

National Election Commission Chairman No Tae-ak announced his resignation Friday over the ballot shortage that marred the June 3 local elections.

Speaking at the NEC's Gwacheon headquarters Friday afternoon, No offered a public apology and said he would step down as chairman. "I take full responsibility for everything that has happened," he said.

He added that NEC Secretary-General Heo Cheol-hun had also tendered his resignation, saying Heo had accepted responsibility as head of the commission's secretariat.

"The public's strong interest in local governance and their active participation — expressed through their votes — have been undermined by this ballot shortage," No said. "As NEC chairman, I feel profound shame and an unbounded sense of responsibility that public trust in election administration has been damaged, leading to widespread doubt about the integrity of the electoral process."

No also pledged that the commission would cooperate fully with all accountability proceedings, including a National Assembly parliamentary investigation. "If there are responsibilities to be borne as a result, we will not evade them," he said.

The NEC plans to establish a fact-finding committee composed entirely of outside experts to determine the cause of the shortage and develop measures to prevent a recurrence.

"We will set up the fact-finding committee as quickly as possible so that this never happens again," No said. "It will identify the root causes and problems that led to the ballot shortage, examine how the situation was handled, and draw up improvements to prevent a recurrence — and we will make all findings fully public."

The crisis erupted June 3 when voters at polling stations in Seoul's Songpa-gu and other areas were left waiting after ballots ran out, triggering a wave of public criticism over the NEC's management of the elections.


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