During the National Assembly audit of the Election Commission, the ruling party criticized Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae for the vacant position of the Election Commission chair. The opposition party pressured the commission by bringing up the controversy surrounding President Lee Jae-myung's exposure of ballots during early voting in the June 3 local elections.
On October 7, at the National Assembly's Administrative Safety Committee audit, Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Young-bae pressed Chief Justice Cho regarding the vacancy, stating, "Isn't it the case that the Chief Justice must appoint someone for the commissioners to elect a chair?"
He further urged, "The eight members of the Election Commission should gather today and either visit Chief Justice Cho's residence or hold a press conference to demand a prompt appointment as per tradition."
Fellow party member Park Joo-min pointed out the longstanding practice since the commission's establishment in 1963, where a Supreme Court Justice has served as chair. He questioned, "Why must we wait for someone appointed by the Chief Justice to be the chair?" He called for a swift election of a chair or, if that is not possible, a strong request to Chief Justice Cho.
The opposition countered that the ruling party's pressure was inappropriate. People Power Party lawmaker Park Deok-heum noted, "Currently, the government is operating under acting officials for the heads of the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency, the National Police Agency, and the Ministry of Justice. There is no justification to criticize the delay in appointing the Election Commission chair while urgent personnel matters remain unresolved."
He also referenced an incident on May 29, when President Lee stepped out of the voting booth during early voting to inquire about invalid ballots, questioning whether the commission's response was appropriate.
People Power Party lawmaker Kang Myung-gu cited a previous case where ballots from ordinary citizens were made public and deemed invalid, asking, "If the President does it, it's a mere incident, but if the public does it, it's invalid. Why is it acceptable for the President but not for the citizens?" He criticized the commission for showing subservience to power, stating, "This is why we are facing a shortage of ballots."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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