▲ Cho Hyun-wook, head of the Truth and Reconciliation Committee on the Ballot Shortage Incident, holds a briefing on the final investigation results at the National Election Commission in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, on June 19.
The Truth and Reconciliation Committee of the National Election Commission (NEC), which has been investigating the ballot shortage incident during the June 3 local elections, recommended on June 19, the final day of its investigation, that the authorities launch an investigation into the NEC leadership, including former Chairperson Noh Tae-ak.
Cho Hyun-wook, head of the committee, held a briefing at the NEC headquarters in Gwacheon today and stated, "We recommend a formal investigation based on the accountability for the systemic failure in election management."
The recommendation for investigation targets a total of 12 individuals, including former Chairperson Noh, Standing Commissioner Wi Chul-hwan, former Secretary-General Heo Chul-hoon, Deputy Secretary-General Kang Dong-wan, and former Election Policy Office Director Yoon Jae-soo.
The list also includes the chairperson, standing commissioner, secretary-general, and election division head of the Seoul Metropolitan Election Commission, as well as the chairperson, office director, and election officer of the Songpa-gu Election Commission.
In addition, the committee recommended disciplinary action against six working-level staff members from the NEC, the Seoul Metropolitan Election Commission, and the Songpa-gu Election Commission who were involved in the incident.
According to the committee's investigation, 140 out of 14,288 polling stations nationwide received additional ballots after a shortage was anticipated on June 3.
Of those, 91 polling stations actually used the additional ballots, and 26 polling stations experienced temporary suspensions of voting.
The committee pointed out, "Looking at the situation when the ballot shortage occurred, the rapid reporting system to higher-level committees did not function at all," adding, "The command authority of the higher-level committees was not exercised either."
It further explained that the Seoul Metropolitan Election Commission decided to extend voting hours without reporting to or discussing it with the NEC, and that the Songpa-gu Election Commission began counting ballots before voting had officially concluded.
Regarding the incident, the committee stated that "sweeping innovation, bordering on the dismantling of the NEC, is necessary," and proposed various measures to prevent recurrence.
Specifically, the committee proposed raising the ballot printing reduction rate to over 70%, minimizing the use of unnumbered ballots, reducing the scope of matters decided by the NEC secretariat, introducing a full-time system for the NEC chairperson, revising manuals to focus on on-site response protocols, establishing a real-time monitoring system for voter turnout by polling station, and including the NEC within the scope of the Board of Audit and Inspection's official duties.
Furthermore, the committee suggested, "It is necessary to develop plans to improve the election system regarding the future of the early voting system, errors in the electronic input process of counting results, and the timing of exit poll announcements, and to provide a forum for public discourse to restore public trust."
When asked why the committee did not recommend a re-election, Chairperson Cho explained, "The requirements for a re-election are stipulated in the Public Official Election Act, and the decision on whether to hold a re-election should be made after a court ruling through legal procedures such as election petitions." He added, "Since a re-election is possible in some areas if there are issues, we deemed it more reasonable to leave it to the court's judgment rather than for us to decide."
In response to a question about whether there were any unverified aspects, he said, "Although the period was short, I believe we thoroughly examined the ballot shortage incident in line with the committee's name." He added, "While different situations may be announced in future investigations by the joint prosecution-police investigation headquarters or parliamentary probes, I believe we have clarified almost everything that needed to be investigated."
(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.