Chairman Cho Hyun-wook stated during the meeting at the NEC headquarters in Gwacheon, "The committee is committed to safeguarding constitutional values, regardless of political affiliation, and aims to address the infringement of voting rights."
He emphasized, "We will hold those responsible accountable and propose reforms to ensure that the integrity and trustworthiness of elections are not compromised."
Cho also requested that the committee's activities not be interpreted as politically biased and urged the public to support their work, stating, "The fact-finding committee operates independently."
Regarding the ballot shortage, Cho described it as "an unprecedented situation that should never occur in a free democracy," asserting that it cannot be dismissed as a mere administrative error or a failure in demand forecasting. He labeled it a serious crisis that infringes on citizens' voting rights.
He pointed out that the incident highlighted systemic failures within the election management system, stating, "This situation was caused by the NEC, indicating a comprehensive failure in the election management system. It is time for innovative reforms to restore election fairness."
After the meeting, Cho told reporters, "We confirmed that there was no response manual for the NEC in the event of a ballot shortage," adding that they would request the attendance of relevant staff and additional materials if necessary.
He also mentioned that he would seek clarification on the reasons behind the directive to reduce the number of printed ballots and whether the potential issues arising from this directive were considered. Furthermore, he requested detailed reports from the NEC regarding the decision to start counting votes before all ballots had been cast, the individuals involved in that decision, and the minutes from the NEC meetings that led to the reduction in printed ballots. He also sought information on the NEC's response to the 26 polling stations where voting was briefly halted before resuming.
Cho stated that the committee would focus on verifying the internal reporting system of the NEC and the adequacy of its crisis response. He announced plans to hold daily meetings for in-depth discussions.
The fact-finding committee, which includes Chairman Cho, a lawyer, and six external members, will operate for ten days until June 19.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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