The ruling and opposition parties have agreed on a special prosecutor act targeting the National Election Commission and extended the mandate of the National Assembly's special parliamentary investigation committee on the NEC by one month. The move ratchets up pressure on the NEC over the ballot shortage that marred the June 3 local elections, though the two sides showed a subtle rift over whether a planned recount at an Olympic Park counting center should be linked to the special prosecutor's investigation.
Political sources said Friday that the investigation committee — formed in the wake of the ballot shortage — had its mandate extended from the original deadline of Aug. 1 to Aug. 30. Rep. Yun Sang-hyun of the People Power Party, who chairs the committee, said the panel must address not only the recount but also recently uncovered allegations of voter turnout manipulation. "We will deal intensively with the relevant issues at the Aug. 10 hearing," he said in a phone interview.
At a plenary session Thursday afternoon, the committee reached a tentative agreement to hold an on-site recount at the Songpa-gu counting center on Aug. 18, alongside the hearing schedule. The panel also agreed to convene a full session on Aug. 28 to adopt a progress report on the parliamentary investigation and vote on whether to file complaints against witnesses who failed to appear or committed perjury.
The recount schedule sparked a tug-of-war tied to the agreed special prosecutor operation. Some opposition lawmakers called for the recount to proceed only in the presence of the NEC special prosecutor to preserve evidence, signaling a preference for tying the parliamentary investigation to the special counsel process. The ruling party, by contrast, maintained that the recount should be completed swiftly in August as agreed.
PPP Rep. Ju Jin-woo argued that once the special prosecutor is launched, a recount of ballots at the Songpa-gu counting center — which would constitute evidence — would no longer be an appropriate way to resolve the allegations. "The special prosecutor's evidence investigation schedule must come first, so I oppose confirming the Aug. 18 recount date," he said.
Fellow PPP Rep. Choi Bo-yun said it would be "extremely problematic" to proceed with a recount alone before the special prosecutor is even launched.
Democratic Party of Korea Rep. Yun Geon-yeong, the committee's opposition floor whip, pushed back, saying that completing the recount in August was "the spirit of the agreement between the ruling and opposition floor leaders." "Adjustments within August are possible, but pushing it to September would break the spirit of the agreement," he said.
DP Rep. Jeon Yong-gi echoed that view, warning that if the special prosecutor is not launched by the end of August and a September recount is discussed, the entire inter-party agreement would have to be scrapped and the special prosecutor arrangement renegotiated. "Why should the National Assembly follow and be subordinate to the special prosecutor?" he said.
The floor whips of both parties left open the possibility of adjusting the recount schedule. Committee chair Yun said that if the recount does not interfere with the special prosecutor's investigation at all, the timing may be flexible, but that locking in a date could create complications. "The schedule is not finalized and will be adjusted based on agreement between the ruling and opposition floor whips," he said.
The investigation committee held two hearings — on July 14 and July 22 — examining the NEC's mismanagement of the elections and lax organizational discipline. On July 2 and July 7, members visited the Olympic Park counting center in Songpa-gu, Seoul, where they reviewed 2.47 million ballots and inspected the operation of closed-circuit television systems.
The two sides had ultimately failed to reach agreement on the cause of the ballot shortage, measures to reform the NEC, and the timing of the recount. They subsequently reached a surprise deal on a special prosecutor act targeting the NEC and agreed to extend the investigation committee's mandate by 30 days.
mp1256@heraldcorp.com
