Justice Party Demands Resignation of Election Commission Chair for Fueling Election Fraud Conspiracy Theories

"An Incident That Undermines the Foundation of Democracy"
"Fair Compensation Must Be Provided to Voters"

On June 3, the Justice Party called for the resignation of Noh Tae-ak, Chairperson of the National Election Commission, in connection with the shortage of ballot papers that occurred during the 9th simultaneous local elections.

In a statement released on June 3, the Justice Party pointed out, "In 14 districts in Seoul, a shortage of ballot papers led to the extension of voting hours until 10 PM," and described the situation as "an incident that undermines the very foundation of democracy."

The party continued, "The National Election Commission not only failed to ensure the fairness of the election but also gave fuel to conspiracy theorists alleging election fraud," and demanded, "Chairperson Noh Tae-ak must resign immediately."

On the 4th, due to a shortage of ballots in the 9th simultaneous nationwide local elections and by-elections for the National Assembly, the voting time was extended until 10 PM. In front of the second polling station in Jamsil 7-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul, citizens opposing the removal of the ballot box shouted slogans throughout the night. Photo by Yonhap News

The Justice Party further criticized, "In this unprecedented situation, Chairperson Noh has yet to make any statement, and only Secretary General Heo Cheol-hoon has issued a public apology, taking personal responsibility." The party added, "Chairperson Noh must come forward immediately, explain the circumstances to the public, and apologize."

The statement also emphasized that this incident cannot simply be dismissed as a mishap. "This situation was caused by an incredibly basic and absurd mistake, and as a result, social unity has been set back even further," the party said. "A mere apology from the Secretary General is not enough. Chairperson Noh must resign immediately, and the National Election Commission should thoroughly review and correct its existing practices."

The Justice Party also demanded, "Reasonable and fair compensation measures should be provided to the voters who had to wait outside polling stations for over four hours in some cases," and expressed deep regret, stating, "It is extremely unfortunate that such an incident has occurred at a critical moment when it is essential to root out insurrectionist forces and permanently eliminate conspiracy theorists."

However, regarding the People Power Party, the Justice Party stated, "The People Power Party, including its leader Jang Donghyuk, should refrain from using this incident as an excuse to spread conspiracy theories," and argued, "The public is witnessing how incompetent parties rely solely on election fraud conspiracy theories."

Meanwhile, around midnight on June 4, the National Election Commission convened an emergency meeting and issued a statement regarding the ballot paper shortage at some polling stations. The Commission said, "We take full responsibility for causing great disappointment and concern to voters who visited polling stations to exercise their right to vote and participate in democracy due to our mistake." However, it also explained, "This incident, caused by a shortage of ballot papers at some polling stations on election day, does not constitute grounds for postponing or rerunning the election under the Public Official Election Act, so it is not possible to halt the ongoing ballot counting."

During the Seoul mayoral election held the previous day, there were incidents at some counting stations in Songpa, Gangnam, and Dongjak districts where a shortage of ballot papers led to some voters having to wait. In response, the People Power Party demanded a halt to the ballot counting and a rerun of the election.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.