▲ Protests blocking the Jamsil vote counting station, sparked by the ballot shortage during the June 3 local elections, have grown in scale as of the evening of June 12, ahead of the weekend.
The People Power Party (PPP) is seeing a variety of opinions emerge within the party today (June 14) regarding demands for re-elections following the ballot shortage incident in the June 3 local elections.
While the party leadership, including Representative Jang Dong-hyeok, is calling for a full-scale re-election, other factions—including those with legal backgrounds and reform-minded members—are proposing selective re-elections or arguing that re-elections are not feasible, leaving the party divided into three distinct camps.
The most vocal proponents of a full-scale re-election are the party leadership, including Representative Jang, and Supreme Council members Shin Dong-wook, Kim Jae-won, Kim Min-soo, and Cho Gwang-hwan.
Representative Jang urged President Lee Jae-myung via Facebook today to "first listen to the voices of the young people and citizens calling for an immediate re-election."
Previously, on June 13, he also proposed a public meeting with Prime Minister Kim Min-seok and Democratic Party leader Jung Chung-rae to discuss whether to hold nationwide re-elections and the launch of a special counsel investigation.
There are also voices arguing for partial re-elections based on practical considerations.
Lawmakers including Na Kyung-won, Yoo Sang-bum, Kim Sun-kyo, Kwak Kyu-taek, Park Chung-kwon, Joo Jin-woo, and Choi Soo-jin demanded during a press conference at the National Assembly on June 12 that "the National Election Commission (NEC) should not hide behind court rulings but make a decision to hold partial re-elections under its own authority."
In a media interview, Representative Joo Jin-woo mentioned, "If there is a national consensus, it is possible to pursue a re-election through an amendment to the Public Official Election Act."
Some lawmakers remain cautious about re-elections or are placing more weight on reforming the NEC.
Representative Kim Yong-tae of the 'Alternative and Future' group asked on Facebook today, "What about the citizens who criticize the corruption of the NEC but do not agree with a re-election?" He pointed out that "if we ignore the Constitution and the law to hold a nationwide re-election, it will lead to controversy and lawsuits regarding the infringement of voting rights across the country."
A two-term lawmaker also expressed concerns about an unconditional re-election.
Disputes have also broken out among party members regarding how to respond to the re-election issue.
On June 13, when Representative Kim Min-jeon criticized the party's response as weak and compared the issue of voting rights infringement to martial law, Representative Kwon Young-jin demanded that she take down the post, calling it inappropriate.
The party's official stance on the re-election is expected to be finalized during a general meeting of lawmakers in the middle of this week.
For now, the party plans to focus on the formation of a special committee for a parliamentary investigation and a task force for NEC reform and electoral system innovation.
A key parliamentary official explained that it is necessary to set a direction through the general meeting of lawmakers.
Chief Spokesperson Choi Bo-yoon told reporters today, "We are focusing on the parliamentary investigation and the special counsel for now, and depending on what is uncovered, re-elections and other matters can certainly be discussed," but added, "It is not a situation where we can say anything definitively."
(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.