Party says National Election Commission's poor response caused chaos; vows to form task force on electoral reform

Democratic Party of Korea floor leader Rep. Cheon Jun-ho (center), policy chief Rep. Kim Han-gyu (right) and floor spokesperson Rep. Lee Ju-hee submit a parliamentary investigation request to the National Assembly's bill-processing office on Monday over the ballot shortage during the June 3 local elections. [Yonhap]
Democratic Party of Korea floor leader Rep. Cheon Jun-ho (center), policy chief Rep. Kim Han-gyu (right) and floor spokesperson Rep. Lee Ju-hee submit a parliamentary investigation request to the National Assembly's bill-processing office on Monday over the ballot shortage during the June 3 local elections. [Yonhap]

The Democratic Party of Korea on Monday filed a parliamentary investigation request with the National Assembly, calling the ballot shortage during the June 3 local elections a serious failure of election administration and demanding a full inquiry and systemic reform.

Floor leader Rep. Cheon Jun-ho, policy chief Rep. Kim Han-gyu and floor spokesperson Rep. Lee Ju-hee visited the National Assembly's bill-processing office to formally submit the request, titled "Parliamentary Investigation Request for Fact-Finding on the Ballot Shortage at the 9th Nationwide Simultaneous Local Elections and for Electoral Administration Reform."

Speaking to reporters immediately after the submission, Cheon said the National Election Commission had known about the ballot shortage in advance but failed to respond in time, causing serious confusion. "This fatal administrative failure has given rise to unnecessary doubts about the fairness of the election and deepened social conflict over the incident," he said.

He said the investigation aims to conduct a thorough fact-finding inquiry, examine structural problems within the National Election Commission and its subordinate bodies, and develop a reform plan — all to fully guarantee citizens' right to political participation and restore public trust in the electoral process.

On operational details, Cheon left open the possibility of cooperation with opposition parties. "I understand the opposition has also submitted a request," he said. "Detailed consultations will proceed on that basis." He added that establishing the facts is the primary task, but the scope would also cover institutional improvements. "We will quickly form a task force on electoral reform to discuss how to improve the system," he said.

Asked about the selection of a chair for the special parliamentary investigation committee, Cheon said the party would work with People Power Party floor leadership to move quickly and substantively. Special investigation committees are traditionally chaired on a rotating basis between the ruling and opposition parties. The most recent such committee — on prosecutors' alleged fabrication of indictments — was chaired by the Democratic Party as the ruling party.

Meanwhile, Kim addressed calls from some quarters for a by-election, saying it was "not a matter for the political community to decide unilaterally." He said he hoped the formal appeal and court proceedings would be respected and resolved swiftly.


sunpine@heraldcorp.com