President Lee Expresses Deep Regret Over Election Management Flaws: "Causes Must Be Clarified and Accountability Ensured" (Comprehensive)

President Lee Presides Over Senior Secretary Meeting on the 4th
"Swiftly Establish Credible and Appropriate Measures"
To the National Election Commission: "Conduct Thorough Self-Examination and Follow-Up Actions"
After Local Elections: "Unite Efforts for Public Welfare, Balanced Development, and National Unity"…Discussing Local Government Cooperation Plans

On June 4, marking his first year in office, President Lee Jae-myung expressed deep regret over the temporary suspension of voting at some polling stations in Seoul during the June 3 local elections due to a shortage of ballot papers. He stated, "I express my strong regret that such an incomprehensible flaw has occurred in the administration of elections, which should be managed with utmost thoroughness in a democratic republic."

Yonhap News Agency

Presiding over the 36th Senior Secretary Meeting at the Blue House on the topic of "Strategies for the Successful Settlement of the 9th Term of Local Governments," President Lee remarked, "It is reported that residents in some districts of Seoul experienced significant confusion and inconvenience yesterday because of the shortage of ballot papers." On this day, President Lee attended the meeting wearing the unification-themed necktie he had worn at his inauguration last year.

President Lee instructed related agencies to "fully exercise all administrative authority and responsibility to clearly identify the cause of the problem, and to hold accountable those responsible if necessary." He added, "I urge you to swiftly establish credible and appropriate measures to ensure that even the slightest infringement of citizens' voting rights never occurs again."

The Blue House clarified that the President's directive does not imply direct administrative sanctions against the National Election Commission. At a briefing at the Chunchugwan after the meeting, Senior Presidential Spokesperson Kang Yoo-jung explained, "This is not intended as direct sanctions against the National Election Commission. Rather, it means that the Commission must take all responsible actions to ensure that citizens' suffrage is not undermined."

Kang further stated, "The National Election Commission must take this incident very seriously and conduct a thorough self-examination and necessary follow-up measures. The Blue House is closely monitoring the matter." When asked about the possibility of specific actions at the administrative level, such as an audit by the Board of Audit and Inspection, Kang replied, "Given that the National Election Commission is a constitutional institution with grave responsibility, the emphasis is on the need for it to take appropriate action."

The previous day, at 14 polling stations in Seoul, including Songpa, Gangnam, Gwangjin, and Dongjak districts, voting was temporarily suspended due to a shortage of ballot papers. Some voters gave up on voting, while others received waiting tickets and cast their ballots after 6 p.m. In the case of the Jamsil 7-dong No. 2 polling station, some voters who had received waiting tickets did not actually vote, which extended the voting hours until 10 p.m. Announcements were made over apartment intercom systems to encourage voter participation.

The National Election Commission issued a public apology on the same day in the name of Secretary-General Heo Cheol-hoon, stating, "We caused great confusion and concern to the public due to the shortage of ballot papers at some polling stations," and added, "We feel a heavy sense of responsibility for undermining public trust in the fair administration of elections."

After the local elections, President Lee called on the political community to cooperate for public welfare and national unity. He said, "Regardless of the competition during the election, both the ruling and opposition parties must act as partners to protect the lives of the people and pioneer a better future for the nation." He went on to say, "Now that the election is over, I ask the political community to unite in earnest efforts to improve the people’s livelihoods, achieve balanced regional development, and promote national unity as demanded by our sovereign people."

The government also announced its intention to cooperate with the newly launched local governments regardless of the election results. President Lee stated, "The government will humbly respect the will of the people as expressed in the local elections and will actively cooperate with all newly elected local governments, regardless of party affiliation. We will devote all our efforts, uniting the hearts of the people, to improving their lives and advancing the Republic of Korea."

When asked for the Blue House's assessment of the local election results, Senior Spokesperson Kang said, "Every election is an opportunity to hear the diverse voices of the people. The government will faithfully reflect public sentiment and use it as an opportunity to stabilize livelihoods, boost economic growth, and foster national unity."

During the closed session of the meeting, strategies to enhance cooperation between central and local governments were also discussed. The Office of Political Affairs reported that, as the guiding philosophy of the Sovereign People's Government is the "local-first principle," the 9th term of local governments should be treated as partners in national governance, and that cooperation between the central and local governments should be made substantive.

Measures to strengthen both legislative autonomy and accountability of local governments were also discussed. President Lee urged local governments to actively utilize autonomous legislative tools, such as ordinances, while also establishing corresponding measures to reinforce accountability. As information asymmetry between residents and local governments has been identified as a source of distrust in local autonomy, expanding resident participation through information disclosure requests and creating evaluation systems that reflect residents’ perspectives were also discussed.

Preparations for the launch of the integrated Jeonnam-Gwangju Metropolitan City were also reported. President Lee, noting that this would be the first-ever integration of metropolitan governments in the history of local autonomy, instructed that preparations for each sector for the successful launch of the Jeonnam-Gwangju Metropolitan City be carried out without setbacks.

Marking the beginning of the second year of the Sovereign People's Government, President Lee also called on public officials to accelerate government operations. Senior Spokesperson Kang conveyed, "President Lee, whose second year in office as head of the Sovereign People's Government begins today, urged all public officials to make every effort to accelerate the pace of government work."

Disaster safety measures for the summer were also a major topic at the meeting. President Lee ordered a proactive inspection of all risk factors, including heat waves, flooding, landslides, and retaining wall collapses, as higher temperatures and heavier rainfall than usual are expected this summer. He specifically called for strengthened inspections of construction sites and aging public facilities, and asked relevant ministries to "respond as if being excessively cautious" on matters concerning people's lives and safety.

The issue of rest rights for facility management workers was also mentioned. President Lee pointed out that, despite legal guarantees, the right to breaks for workers such as cleaners and security guards is not being adequately implemented in practice, and instructed central and local governments as well as public institutions to take the lead in improving this situation. He also called for efforts to be reflected in institutional evaluations.

The Blue House took a cautious stance regarding the possibility of a cabinet reshuffle or reorganization of presidential aides following the local elections. Senior Spokesperson Kang said, "There are no decisions regarding a cabinet reshuffle or personnel changes. While we will thoroughly review overall state affairs in light of the public sentiment reflected in the election results, and will do so if necessary, there are no decisions regarding a reshuffle or personnel appointments at this time."

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