Ruling, opposition parties blast election commission over ballot shortage; PPP pushes for special prosecutor

Political parties are keeping up sharp criticism of the National Election Commission over the ballot shortage that marred the June 3 local elections, with the People Power Party now calling for both a parliamentary investigation and a special prosecutor.

People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok said at an emergency supreme council meeting at the National Assembly on Saturday morning that "a parliamentary investigation must be launched immediately and a special prosecutor established without delay to conduct a thorough investigation into this incident."

Jang said the matter could not be closed simply because the NEC chairman and secretary-general had stepped down. "All members of the National Election Commission, as well as the heads and commissioners of each regional election commission, must be held accountable," he said.

He also called for urgent reform of the NEC and revision of election laws. "The NEC should have been put under the knife when the nepotistic hiring controversy arose — it is already far too late," he said.

Jang proposed forming a national reform body that would bring together ruling and opposition party representatives, experts and members of the public to discuss NEC reform measures. He also warned that "if Lee Jae-myung and the Democratic Party continue to plug their ears and dig in, the public's anger will bring about the end of their administration."

The Democratic Party leadership had also announced its intention to pursue a parliamentary investigation into the ballot shortage.

Floor leader Han Byung-do told reporters at the National Assembly on Friday that the ballot shortage was "incomprehensible, unacceptable and absurd," adding that the party would press ahead with a parliamentary investigation even though the NEC chairman and others had resigned.

Han said a parliamentary investigation would allow lawmakers to determine the full sequence of events and how the shortage occurred. "We need to get a clear picture so this never happens again and so we can understand exactly why it happened," he said.

Chief spokesperson Kang Jun-hyeon said in a written briefing that the ballot shortage "represents a serious failure of the NEC's duties and a grave betrayal of public trust," and that the Democratic Party would "actively pursue all procedures necessary to uncover the truth, including a parliamentary investigation."

Kang added that the party would devote full effort to institutional reform and legislation aimed at fundamentally overhauling the NEC's flawed election management system.

However, Kang directed a warning at the People Power Party and others, saying it was essential that "no one provoke political disputes unrelated to the core of this incident in a way that obstructs the process of uncovering the truth about the NEC."