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 would pursue a parliamentary investigation regarding the shortage of ballot papers that occurred at some polling stations during the 9th nationwide local elections.

Byungho Han, the floor leader of the Democratic Party, told reporters at the National Assembly in the afternoon, "Although Noh Taeak, the chairperson of the National Election Commission, has resigned, we cannot simply let this incident pass. We will also push for 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 stated, "The shortage of ballot papers is an incomprehensible and unacceptable incident," and pointed out, "One of the important criteria by which people evaluate the Republic of Korea is its advanced democracy, and it is shameful that such an incident occurred."

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

Han also said, "We will start by thoroughly identifying the circumstances and fundamentally examine what problems exist within the commission. There is no need to wait for the formation of the standing committee—we will discuss with the new Speaker and the opposition to swiftly find a way to proceed." He added that if issues are uncovered during the parliamentary investigation, a special prosecutor could also be considered.

The National Election Commission has been criticized for causing the ballot paper shortage by issuing a guideline, starting with this local election, requiring only 'a minimum of 50% ballot paper printing.'

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