The National Assembly launched a special committee on June 18 to investigate the "voting paper shortage" that occurred during the June 3 local elections. The committee's formation reflects a bipartisan consensus on the urgent need to clarify the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The Special Committee on the Investigation of the Voting Paper Shortage and Election Management Reform, established with bipartisan agreement, adopted its investigation plan during its first meeting held in the National Assembly on the morning of June 18.
The Democratic Party's representatives include Yoon Geon-young, the ruling party's co-chair, along with Lee Hae-sik, Kim Sung-hwa, Kim Nam-hee, Kim Young-bae, Kim Yong-man, Yang Boo-nam, Lee Gi-heon, and Jeon Yong-ki. The People Power Party is represented by Chair Yoon Sang-hyun, co-chair Seo Beom-soo, and members Kim Eun-hye, Shin Dong-wook, Park Soo-min, Joo Jin-woo, and Choi Bo-yoon. Additionally, Jeong Chun-sang from the Justice Reform Party and Lee Jun-seok from the Reform Party are participating as non-affiliated members.
Chair Yoon stated, "The inability to vote due to a shortage of voting papers, which is fundamental to exercising voting rights, represents the greatest failure and total incompetence of election management." He emphasized the need for a thorough investigation by the National Assembly to clarify the causes and the entire response process.
Co-chair Yoon Geon-young also remarked, "We must thoroughly question the incompetence and poor management system of the National Election Commission and work together to find institutional reform measures to ensure the full protection of voting rights." He expressed his commitment to reform alongside Chair Yoon.
Co-chair Seo added, "We will do our utmost to conduct a thorough investigation and clarify accountability to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future. We will approach this without limitations, solely from the perspective of the public."
During the meeting, the committee decided on the scope of the investigation, target institutions, and methods.
The investigation will cover the following areas: the circumstances leading to the voting paper shortage, the criteria for determining the quantity of voting papers printed, the adequacy of the guidelines for printing, the Election Commission's on-site management on election day, the timeline for recognizing the shortage, the operation of command and reporting systems, responses to delays and interruptions affecting voter rights, police actions regarding gatherings and protests at polling places, and the management of election personnel and budgets.
The investigation methods will include preliminary investigations by experts, institutional reports, document submissions, field investigations, and hearings involving witnesses and informants. The National Election Commission and local election commissions will be the focus of the investigation.
The committee's activities are scheduled to last 45 days, from June 18 to August 1. However, if additional investigations are deemed necessary, the period may be extended.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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