Ruling Party to Submit Parliamentary Inquiry Request on Ballot Paper Shortage on the 8th... "Considering Constitutional Amendment"

Byungdo Han’s Press Conference on the 7th

Byungdo Han, the floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, announced on the 8th that he would submit a request for a parliamentary inquiry regarding the "ballot paper shortage incident" that occurred during the June 3 local elections.

Byungdo Han, 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

On the 7th, during a press conference held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Han stated, "We must thoroughly clarify the full scope and truth of whether there were any structural flaws within the National Election Commission’s internal system, and we should boldly implement improvements."

He added, "I will also ask the Speaker of the National Assembly to convene a plenary session as soon as possible," and continued, "To ensure a substantive parliamentary investigation, lawmakers who served mainly in the Public Administration and Security Committee, which oversees the National Election Commission during the first half of the National Assembly, will participate in the inquiry."

As for the ruling party members of the special parliamentary committee for the investigation, nine lawmakers are expected to be named: Geonyoung Yoon, Haesik Lee, Seonghoe Kim, Kyungjong Mo, Miae Lim, Bunam Yang, Sangsik Lee, Kwanghee Lee, and Hyunil Chae.

Han also said, "We will immediately begin negotiations with the People Power Party tomorrow to proceed with the parliamentary investigation," adding, "We will thoroughly uncover the truth behind this incident through a swift inquiry."

Additionally, Han stated, "Separately from the parliamentary investigation, we will establish a Task Force (TF) on electoral system reform within the party," and continued, "We will comprehensively review all relevant laws, including the Public Official Election Act and the National Election Commission Act, and will ensure systemic improvements so that incidents such as the basket voting and ballot transfer in ziplock bags never happen again."

He also mentioned constitutional amendment, saying, "If necessary, we will seek to ensure that the National Election Commission can be subject to checks and balances through constitutional reform," and added, "We are reviewing the possibility of a complete restructuring of the National Election Commission."

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