PPP accuses Democratic Party of 'shielding' election commission as Olympic Park recount stalls

The National Assembly's special committee on the parliamentary investigation into the ballot shortage during the June 3 local elections continues to go around in circles over a recount of 2.47 million ballots stored at the Olympic Park counting center in Songpa-gu, Seoul — even as the committee's mandate nears its end this month.

People Power Party members of the parliamentary investigation committee sharpened their criticism of the Democratic Party of Korea on Thursday, calling on it to "immediately stop shielding the National Election Commission."

PPP lawmaker Joo Jin-woo made the remarks ahead of the party's 2026 PPP lawmakers' workshop at Sonokem Hotel in Ilsan.

Joo urged the Democratic Party to "stay true to the committee's core mission," saying the party had consistently sided with the NEC. "Whenever the public raised concerns about problems with the election, the Democratic Party led the charge to bury them by branding critics as conspiracy theorists," he said.

He went on to say that as public sentiment soured, the Democratic Party joined the parliamentary investigation committee and put on a show of scolding and questioning the NEC as if it were not in lockstep with it. "But as of today, the Democratic Party has admitted that it has been running a protection show for the NEC," he claimed.

Joo said the Democratic Party had spent the entire investigation fixated on the Olympic Park recount while sidelining the search for the truth. "The reason the special prosecutor sent an official letter is that it is concerned about the destruction of evidence and is demanding a scientific examination of each and every ballot," he said.

He went on to say that the PPP had proposed convening the committee to review the special prosecutor's requests and conduct a genuine verification for a thorough investigation. "It is the Democratic Party that unilaterally rejected the PPP's proposal and is insisting, without condition, on proceeding with the recount first," he said.

PPP members of the committee called for rigorous procedures in any reverification at Olympic Park. "The Olympic Park reverification must above all proceed in a way that prevents the destruction of evidence and assists the special prosecutor in conducting a thorough investigation," Joo said, adding that the special prosecutor would need sufficient personnel and investigative equipment to participate properly in the verification process and must not be rushed by deadlines or time constraints.

Joo also expressed strong opposition to the NEC leading the recount. "How can 2.47 million ballots be forensically examined in a single day under NEC leadership, as is currently proposed, in a way that comprehensively resolves all the allegations?" he said. "We must not try to paper over the problems with the NEC and the electoral system out of fear of public opinion gathering at Olympic Park and from across the country."

He added that the Olympic Park recount was merely one means of uncovering the truth and was by no means an indispensable procedure, and that it must not obstruct the special prosecutor's rigorous investigation. "The Democratic Party's attempt on Thursday to pin the suspension of the Olympic Park recount on the PPP is nothing but a distortion," he said.

Asked by a reporter what basis there was for concluding that the special prosecutor's official letter constituted destruction of evidence, Joo said the special prosecutor had not sent the letter first. "It sent the letter as a set of preconditions for its cooperation," he explained.

He added that the special prosecutor's requests were that there be no destruction of evidence under any circumstances, that each ballot be verified through scientific investigative methods, and that no one be permitted to alter the condition of any ballot deemed suspicious — with such ballots to be sealed. "The special prosecutor's intent is the principled position that evidence must not be destroyed or lost during the Olympic Park recount process in a way that would forfeit public trust," he said.

On the absence of fellow PPP lawmakers Yoon Sang-hyun, the committee chair, and Seo Beom-su from the press conference, Joo explained that Yoon had previously made proposals regarding the recount and, as committee chair, was in a position to facilitate the meeting. "Today's statement was made by committee members who were not directly involved in the negotiation process with the Democratic Party," he said. Lawmakers Joo Jin-woo, Kim Eun-hye and Choi Bo-yun attended the press conference.