Election Commission Chair Resigns... Democratic Party to Pursue Parliamentary Probe into Ballot Paper Shortage

The Democratic Party of Korea announced on June 5 that it will pursue a parliamentary investigation into the shortage of ballot papers at certain polling stations during the 9th nationwide local elections.

Byungho Han, the floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, told reporters at the National Assembly that afternoon, "Although Taeak Noh, the Chairperson of the National Election Commission, has resigned, we cannot just let this incident pass, and we will also pursue a parliamentary investigation."

Byungho Han, the floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is speaking at the policy coordination meeting held at the National Assembly on June 4, 2026. Photo by Hyunmin Kim

Han criticized, "The shortage of ballot papers is an absurd situation that cannot be understood or accepted," adding, "One of the key criteria by which people evaluate the Republic of Korea is its advanced democracy, but this is a shameful incident."

He went on to say, "We will use this opportunity to push for bold reforms so that the National Election Commission can regain the public's trust."

Han further stated, "We will start by thoroughly identifying the circumstances and fundamentally examine what problems exist within the National Election Commission. Without waiting for the standing committees to be formed, we will discuss with the new speaker and the opposition parties to find a way to move forward quickly." He also said that if problems are discovered through the parliamentary investigation, the party is open to pursuing a special prosecutor.

The National Election Commission is facing criticism for causing the ballot paper shortage by issuing a guideline to print a minimum of only 50% of ballot papers starting with this local election.

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