Noh Tae-ak Resigns as Election Chief: "Will Establish Fact-Finding Committee and Cooperate with Parliamentary Probe"

Secretary-General Heo Cheol-hoon Also Offers Resignation

No Taeak, Chairperson of the National Election Commission, offered his resignation on June 5, taking responsibility for the shortage of ballot papers at certain polling stations during the 9th nationwide local elections. Heo Cheolhun, Secretary General of the commission and the official in charge of administrative operations, also expressed his intention to resign as the head of the administrative office.

Yonhap News Agency

At a press conference held at the National Election Commission headquarters in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, on the afternoon of the same day, Chairperson No stated, "I sincerely apologize for causing public concern due to the ballot paper shortage incident. I feel a deep sense of responsibility as this event has undermined public trust in election management and led to further distrust," expressing his intention to step down.

Chairperson No also announced plans to form a fact-finding committee composed of outside experts. He said, "To ensure that such an incident never happens again, we will promptly establish a fact-finding committee made up entirely of external experts to thoroughly investigate the root cause and the response process of this situation, devise improvement measures, and transparently disclose all findings."

In addition, Chairperson No pledged to cooperate fully with the National Assembly’s Special Investigation Committee and any related procedures. He stated, "There is no excuse for allowing an incident that infringes on the people's right to vote. I will sincerely participate in all procedures and will not evade any responsibilities that I must bear."

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