Lee orders expansion of joint investigation team probing election commission ballot shortage

President Lee Jae-myung on Tuesday ordered the acting prosecutor general to expand the joint prosecutors-police investigation team established to uncover the truth behind the ballot shortage that occurred during the June 3 local elections.

Lee issued the directive while chairing the 27th Cabinet meeting and emergency economic review session at Cheong Wa Dae, saying "public concern and attention over the election commission situation is very high."

He said the National Election Commission, as a constitutionally independent body, falls outside the government's direct oversight, making it impossible to manage or control. "Even the National Assembly finds it difficult to conduct routine monitoring, which is why problems appear to have developed internally," he said.

Lee said there was no excuse for the commission having committed what he called an unthinkable act while operating beyond any checks, especially given that the world looks to South Korea's democracy with admiration. "We must swiftly draw up alternatives and put countermeasures in place," he said.

After being briefed that the joint investigation team numbered around 30 members, Lee told acting Prosecutor General Gu Ja-hyeon the team should be expanded. "It would be good if investigators can also look thoroughly into issues the public cannot accept — such as wasteful spending and hiring irregularities — wherever an investigation is warranted," he said.

Lee did, however, express concern that the election commission controversy was spreading beyond questions of voting rights violations into broader claims of a fraudulent election.

"The June 3 local elections were poorly run — that is a fact — but that does not mean the election as a whole was fraudulent," he said. "Whether there was intent behind what happened still needs to be established, but I would like investigators to take a stricter approach and hold those responsible to a higher standard." He also said the spread of fake news, ridicule, hate and manipulated content was causing serious social conflict and division.

On the asset polarization accompanying the Kospi's recent climb past the 9,000-point mark, Lee directed officials to draw up measures focused on young people.

"The semiconductor boom and the stock market's rapid growth are remarkable achievements, but they cast a deep shadow of asset polarization," he said. "The government must take to heart the sense of alienation felt by young people who see record-breaking bonuses and a soaring Kospi as a world that has nothing to do with them."

On the won-dollar exchange rate hovering in the mid-1,500 won range, Lee said the situation was "more of a short-term issue than a structural one." He added that the point at which foreign investors finish rebalancing their portfolios would likely coincide with the sharp rise in share prices leveling off, and that the mid-1,500 won level was "too excessive relative to the fundamentals — it is only a matter of time."

Lee also reiterated his instruction to Kim Yong-beom, the Cheong Wa Dae policy chief, to shorten the current two-business-day settlement cycle for stock trades.