Two final candidates for election watchdog special prosecutor to be named Aug. 14

The public recommendation committee tasked with selecting a special prosecutor to investigate the ballot shortage during the June 3 local elections held its first meeting Friday and agreed to narrow the field to two final candidates by Aug. 14.

The committee sent formal candidate recommendation requests Friday to the Korean Bar Association and the Korean Law School Council. Under the special prosecutor act, both organizations must respond within five days with their nominations.

The committee plans to receive a total of six nominees — three from each organization — by Wednesday, then convene Aug. 14 to select the two finalists it will recommend to the president.

Cho Ki-yeon, an attorney serving as a Democratic Party-appointed committee member, said after the meeting that members broadly shared the same resolve. "This special prosecutor was launched by consensus between the ruling and opposition parties in response to an unprecedented infringement on voting rights," Cho said. "We need to live up to the expectation that we will select a special prosecutor who can restore public trust and prevent a recurrence — regardless of factional or partisan interests."

The six-member committee was formed Wednesday with three members nominated by each party. The Democratic Party nominated attorneys Cho Du-hyeon and Cho Ki-yeon, along with Ha Sang-eung, an associate professor of political science and diplomacy at Sogang University. The People Power Party nominated attorneys Kim Yong-gwan and Choi Chang-ho, along with Cha Jin-a, a professor at Korea University School of Law.

Five of the six members attended Friday's inaugural meeting; People Power Party-nominated member Choi Chang-won was absent. Attorney Kim Yong-gwan, the oldest among those present, was chosen to chair the committee.