People Power Party lawmaker Yun Sang-hyun [Yonhap]
People Power Party lawmaker Yun Sang-hyun [Yonhap]

People Power Party lawmaker Yun Sang-hyun said Tuesday that what the public wants is not a competition of political voices but feasible alternatives free of legal and institutional flaws, as the National Assembly grapples with the ballot shortage crisis that marred the June 3 local elections.

Writing on his Facebook page, Yun said the proposals put forward by PPP leader Jang Dong-hyeok — a nationwide re-election and the immediate abolition of the early voting system — "may represent public outrage, but what is urgently needed now is not an expansion of that anger, but practical solutions to restore the rights of citizens."

Jang had said at a press conference Tuesday that the party would "swiftly advance internal discussions to introduce a special bill enabling a re-election."

Yun said it was "entirely natural" for citizens who feel their right to vote was violated to demand accountability and fundamental remedies, but cautioned that sharing the same destination does not mean every path is the right one. "Politics must not stop at following public anger," he said. "It is politics' responsibility to translate that anger into real institutional outcomes."

He added that while Jang had proposed a special re-election bill as a solution, the bill alone would not resolve the problem. "Pushing this through in a political landscape where the opposition holds a majority in the Assembly is by no means a simple matter," he said.

Yun advised against locking in a single answer and pressing ahead, saying it was necessary to keep all possible means and solutions on the table. He noted that a parliamentary investigation and a special prosecutor inquiry are already under way, and that voices are emerging to discuss the legal feasibility of a revote or re-election and how to supplement existing legislation.

He said the Assembly must carefully examine under what circumstances a revote or re-election is legally possible, what legislation is achievable, and how it can be implemented — particularly given the scale of public demand for a re-election. He also called for looking at overseas cases to help assess what he described as an unprecedented election mismanagement crisis. In Berlin, Germany, he noted, re-elections were held not across all affected areas but focused on the specific constituencies where problems occurred.

"Now is the time to move beyond anger and talk about real solutions," Yun wrote. "You cannot reach your destination with the wrong map."


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