Ballot shortage 'inexcusable,' President Lee says at emergency meeting with top officials

Lee meets heads of four branches; says truth must be established and accountability taken

Assembly Speaker Cho vows parliamentary investigation; Supreme Court chief pledges to protect election fairness

PM Kim Min-seok calls for constitutional amendment if needed to fix the problem

President Lee Jae Myung speaks at a meeting with the heads of the four branches of government at Cheong Wa Dae on Monday. Seated clockwise from Lee (center) are Supreme Court Chief Justice Jo Hee-de, Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, Political Affairs Secretary Hong Ik-pyo, Communications Secretary Lee Kyu-youn, Civil Affairs Secretary Bong Uk, Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik, Constitutional Court Chief Justice Kim Sang-hwan and National Assembly Speaker Cho Jeong-sik. [Yonhap]

President Lee Jae Myung said Monday that the ballot shortage during the June 3 local elections was "an extremely serious problem that leaves no room for excuse," adding that failing to guarantee voters' right to cast ballots amounted to a failure to uphold national sovereignty.

Lee made the remarks at a meeting with the heads of the four branches of government held Monday afternoon at Cheong Wa Dae. National Assembly Speaker Cho Jeong-sik, Supreme Court Chief Justice Jo Hee-de, Constitutional Court Chief Justice Kim Sang-hwan and Prime Minister Kim Min-seok attended to discuss the ballot shortage crisis. Presidential Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik, Political Affairs Secretary Hong Ik-pyo, Civil Affairs Secretary Bong Uk and Communications Secretary Lee Kyu-youn also joined from the presidential office.

President Lee Jae Myung speaks during a meeting with the heads of the four branches of government at Cheong Wa Dae on Monday. [Yonhap]

"The situation cannot simply be brushed aside," Lee said, noting that the National Election Commission is a constitutionally independent body that no one can officially interfere with.

"That said, we cannot leave this unaddressed," he said. "Elections are at the very core of our constitutional order — they are the process through which the sovereignty of the people is realized."

Lee urged the assembled leaders to begin formal discussions on how to handle the matter, saying it was significant that the heads of all the independent constitutional bodies had gathered in one place.

He outlined three priorities: establishing the full facts of what happened, ensuring that those responsible are held accountable in a manner the public finds appropriate, and discussing what remedies and preventive measures are available.

National Assembly Speaker Cho Jeong-sik speaks at the meeting with President Lee Jae Myung and the heads of the four branches of government at Cheong Wa Dae on Monday. [Yonhap]

Newly elected Assembly Speaker Cho Jeong-sik said he viewed the crisis with the utmost gravity. "Public trust in election administration — the foundation of procedural democracy and the expression of popular sovereignty — has been shaken to its core," he said, expressing strong regret on behalf of the legislature.

Cho called the incident a serious failure in which administrative convenience had trampled on citizens' right to political participation, undermining confidence in the state. "Unchecked independence has produced this crisis," he said. "What is needed now is genuine self-reflection and thorough, fundamental reform."

The speaker said the government's plan to form a joint police-prosecution investigative task force must move swiftly and that those responsible must be held to account. He also announced that the Assembly would pursue a parliamentary investigation without delay, noting that both the ruling and opposition parties had submitted formal requests for one on Monday.

Supreme Court Chief Justice Jo Hee-de speaks at the meeting with President Lee Jae Myung and the heads of the four branches of government at Cheong Wa Dae on Monday. [Yonhap]

Supreme Court Chief Justice Jo Hee-de said the full circumstances behind "something that should never happen in a democratic state" must be laid bare, the root causes carefully identified, and measures taken that the public can accept. "The judiciary will also do its utmost to protect the fairness of elections and the rights of citizens through the role assigned to it by the Constitution and the law," he said.

Constitutional Court Chief Justice Kim Sang-hwan said the incident had wounded the pride and trust Koreans had built up over generations of sacrifice and dedication. "As a citizen myself, I feel the weight of this situation deeply," he said.

Kim said he sincerely hoped the crisis would serve as a painful turning point — one that prompts a rigorous examination of the facts, a proper legal assessment, and a clear-eyed review and reform of the country's electoral system and how it operates, so that democracy can earn the firm trust of all citizens once more.

Prime Minister Kim Min-seok speaks at the meeting with President Lee Jae Myung and the heads of the four branches of government at Cheong Wa Dae on Monday. [Yonhap]

Prime Minister Kim Min-seok urged those present to use the gathering as an occasion for a joint declaration of resolve — a shared commitment to the public that the problem would be solved. "Above all, I believe the first order of business is for those responsible for the state, the government and our constitutional institutions to stand together and make that pledge to the people," he said.

Kim said he had called the previous day for the creation of a body — including a national reconciliation committee led by the government — that would bring together the ruling and opposition parties and the public. He added that the meeting should serve as an occasion to affirm a shared determination to amend relevant laws, and the Constitution itself if necessary, to resolve the concerns the public had raised.

moone@heraldcorp.com