Yoon Sang-hyun pushes for public recount of 2.47 million ballots at Olympic Park venue

Rep. Yoon Sang-hyun of the People Power Party, who chairs the National Assembly's special parliamentary investigation committee into the ballot shortage during the June 3 local elections, said Saturday he plans to pursue a public recount of the 2.47 million ballots remaining inside the ballot-counting venue at the Olympic Park handball gymnasium in Songpa-gu, Seoul.

Yoon held a briefing at the National Assembly on current issues, saying the National Election Commission has spent about 200 million won ($129,000) in venue rental fees through July 10. "That is why we are asking the National Election Commission to publicly recount the 2.47 million ballots and show that there were no errors in the voting and counting process," he said.

He added that mobilizing personnel for the recount is expected to cost about 50 million won. "Rather than continuing to pay rental fees, I think conducting a precise recount all at once would also give us the grounds to move the sealed ballot boxes," he said.

Yoon said he has asked the ruling and opposition party floor whips to discuss the matter this week.

"I have asked the floor whips from both sides to consult on this, and I expect a conclusion to come soon," he said. He added that acting Secretary-General Kang Dong-wan of the National Election Commission had expressed support for the recount during last week's agency briefing to the committee.

At a planned on-site inspection of the National Election Commission and the Seoul Election Commission on Monday, the committee said it will focus on the decision-making process behind reducing the ballot printing ratio and the command-and-reporting structure on election day.

"There was a full commission meeting in November last year, led by then-NEC Chairman Noh Tae-ak. Only two people remember what was in the 40-page report," Yoon said. "We will look into issues such as why ballot-related matters were handled through delegated authority rather than being codified in NEC rules," he added.

Responding to Han Byung-do, acting leader and floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, who called Saturday for a "third-party recommendation" system for the special prosecutor into the election commission, Yoon said, "Wouldn't it be far more helpful for getting to the truth of the ballot shortage if the opposition party made the recommendation itself?"

Yoon also said a special prosecutor was necessary to put the entire election commission "on the operating table" — addressing not only the ballot shortage but also issues of budget waste, discretionary contracts, personnel administration and hiring irregularities.