Kang Dong-wan, deputy secretary-general of the National Election Commission, visited Songpa-gu District Office on Friday afternoon to deliver a formal institutional apology over the voting suspension that occurred on the day of the June 3 local elections, the district said.
The meeting was arranged at the NEC's request. It gave the commission, as the body responsible for overseeing elections, an opportunity to formally apologize to Songpa-gu civil servants who had endured severe hardship — fielding intense complaints from voters and managing the fallout from the suspension.
The NEC delegation included Kang along with Jo Bong-gi, acting director of the First Elections Bureau; Kim Nam-hun, acting secretary-general of the Songpa-gu Election Commission; and Lee Gi-jeong, acting elections officer — four officials in total. Songpa-gu was represented by its director of administrative affairs, the head of the autonomous administration division, and the chairperson of the district civil servants union.
"We are deeply grateful for the dedication and sacrifice of the Songpa-gu election officials who fulfilled their duties under the difficult circumstances of the voting suspension and worked tirelessly to manage the subsequent fallout and handle complaints on the ground," Kang said. "On behalf of the institution, I sincerely apologize for the hardship and distress our frontline officials had to endure."
District Mayor Seo Gang-seok thanked the NEC for the visit while noting it had come more than 50 days after the incident. "I am grateful that the NEC came in person to apologize to Songpa-gu officials, even if it is a little late," he said. "A shortage of ballots — the very core of what the NEC is supposed to manage — led to voters being denied their right to vote, and district officials were even blocked and confined for dozens of hours. This should never have happened. I urge the NEC to reform itself so that nothing like this ever occurs again."
Seo also called on the NEC to apologize to voters who have been holding a continuous protest in front of the handball stadium at Olympic Park for the past 50 days.
"I ask that the head of the NEC, as the agency directly responsible for election administration, and the minister of the Ministry of Interior and Safety come to the scene in person, offer a sincere apology to citizens, and present a concrete set of improvements," Seo said. He added that he hoped dialogue would give citizens a reason to return to their daily lives, and that Songpa-gu residents would once again be able to use Olympic Park as before.
The chairperson of the Songpa-gu civil servants union urged the NEC to issue a statement of consolation and apology to frontline officials across the country affected by the incident, and to commit to reforming election administration procedures.
Seo closed by saying he hoped the NEC would take a more proactive approach and ensure appropriate measures were taken in connection with the voting suspension.
seouldream01@heraldcorp.com
