Ruling party task force calls for constitutional reform to overhaul election commission

A Democratic Party of Korea task force on electoral system reform called Wednesday for constitutional reform to be pursued "as swiftly as possible" to bring about meaningful changes to the National Election Commission and the broader election management system.

Rep. Song Ki-heon, who leads the task force — formally named the Task Force for Institutional Reform to Protect Citizens' Voting Rights — made the remarks at a briefing and third plenary session held at the National Assembly that afternoon. "We will work to move this forward quickly," Song said. "We will do our utmost to protect citizens' voting rights and build an election management system in which frontline workers can carry out their duties with stability."

The briefing was attended by representatives from the Korean Government Employees' Union and the Federation of City, County and District Government Employees' Unions, among others.

Song said the election commission, while constitutionally independent and responsible for overseeing elections, relies heavily in practice on local civil servants for the large-scale staffing demands of on-the-ground operations. "Rather than depending on the dedication of frontline workers, we need to examine together whether the election management system itself is functioning properly," he said.

Song added that the task force would consolidate field testimony gathered Wednesday along with opinions from experts and relevant agencies. "Based on that, we will closely review what needs to be supplemented through law and institutional reform, and work to produce specific improvement measures as soon as possible and translate them into legislation," he said.

Independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon has introduced a proposed amendment to the Board of Audit and Inspection Act that would allow the board to conduct operational audits of the election commission. Song said the bill touches on matters requiring constitutional revision. "We will need to verify whether there is a genuine intention to amend the constitution," he said.

Rep. Park Sang-hyeok, the task force's deputy head, said the group had committed to exploring every available option, including constitutional reform. "Our basic position is that we will not rule out a special prosecutor, in addition to a joint investigation, to establish the facts," Park said. "We will not shy away from institutional reform legislation that amounts to, in fundamental terms, the dissolution of the election commission."