Jeong Jeom-sik credits youth activists for driving NEC probe and special prosecutor push

People Power Party lawmakers listen to Floor Leader Jeong Jeom-sik at a policy general meeting of Assembly members held at the National Assembly on Thursday. [Yonhap]
People Power Party lawmakers listen to Floor Leader Jeong Jeom-sik at a policy general meeting of Assembly members held at the National Assembly on Thursday. [Yonhap]

The People Power Party held a policy general meeting of its Assembly members Thursday to discuss a package of National Election Commission reform proposals drawn up in the wake of the ballot shortage that marred the June 3 local elections. Among the measures under consideration are abolishing early voting in favor of a two-day Election Day and requiring automatic recounts in any constituency where the margin of victory is within 0.5 percentage points.

Rep. Park Dae-chul, who chairs the PPP's special committee on investigating violations of civic participation rights in the June 3 elections and reforming the NEC, presented a draft of the "civic participation rights protection bill" at the meeting.

The draft amendment to the Public Official Election Act calls for abolishing early voting and replacing it with a two-day main election, designating Election Day as a public holiday, and printing 100 percent of ballots in advance. It also includes a provision for automatic recounts in constituencies where the vote margin between candidates is within 0.5 percentage points.

Proposals to overhaul the NEC's organizational and personnel structure were also on the table. These include abolishing the positions of secretary-general and deputy secretary-general of the NEC and introducing a full-time system for the commission's chair and vice chair. The committee also reviewed plans to establish an audit committee with a majority of outside members and to dissolve NEC offices at the eup, myeon and dong levels.

The special committee plans to gather additional feedback from Thursday's session, finalize the proposals and then seek to have them adopted as the party's official legislative position. However, no such adoption took place at Thursday's meeting.

Rep. Choi Su-jin, the floor's chief spokesperson, told reporters immediately after the meeting that the party had not adopted the NEC reform bill as its official position Thursday. "We plan to continue soliciting opinions and holding discussions," she said.

Choi said the reforms would require amending 81 provisions spread across multiple laws. "Please understand that this is a process of overhauling the entire system," she said.

Asked whether lawmakers had raised concerns about shortcomings in the draft legislation, she confirmed they had, adding that the party would post the draft in a group Telegram chat for members to continue submitting feedback.

Floor Leader Jeong Jeom-sik, in his opening remarks at the meeting, said the party would pursue a parliamentary investigation into the NEC, a special prosecutor and institutional reform in tandem.

"The driving force behind pushing through the parliamentary investigation into the NEC, the people's special prosecutor and the NEC reform to protect civic participation rights came from the dedication and efforts of the young people and citizens who stood guard at Olympic Park for the past three months," Jeong said. "I express my respect and gratitude for the unwavering struggle of those young people."

Jeong also criticized the Democratic Party of Korea's call for a single-issue constitutional amendment that would allow the Board of Audit and Inspection to audit the NEC, saying the opposition was "covertly exploiting the NEC issue as fodder for a constitutional amendment aimed at allowing a second term."

"Constitutional reform discussions are impossible unless President Lee Jae Myung's five ongoing trials resume," he added. "We will boldly reform the NEC within the framework of the current Constitution."

Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok did not attend Thursday's meeting, which drew about 60 lawmakers.


mp1256@heraldcorp.com