People Power Party Urges "Opening Path for Re-Elections"... Na Kyungwon and Jang Donghyuk Call for Election Law Amendments

Emergency Discussion by People Power Party on June 3 Ballot Shortage

Re-elections Difficult Under Current Law

"Revision of Article 222 of the Election Act Needed"

Na Kyungwon: "Considering Retroactive Application"

Jang Donghyuk

On June 8, the People Power Party announced plans to amend the Public Official Election Act in response to the ballot paper shortage incident during the June 3 local elections, aiming to increase the possibility of holding new elections. The party believes that, under the current election law system, it is virtually impossible to call a new election and argues that the law should first be amended to ease the requirements for election annulment.

At an urgent debate titled "Emergency Forum Demanding New Elections and Special Prosecutor Regarding the Ballot Paper Shortage Incident," co-hosted at the National Assembly Members' Office Building by Representative Na Kyungwon and the People Power Party Policy Committee, participants commonly agreed that it is difficult to conduct a new election under the current Public Official Election Act.

On the 8th, at the National Assembly Members' Office Building, Jang Dong-hyuk, Party Leader (left in the photo), is giving an opening remark at an urgent discussion on election law revision co-hosted by the People Power Party Policy Committee and Representative Na Kyung-won. To the right of Leader Jang is Representative Na Kyung-won. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

Representative Na Kyungwon, who organized the forum, stated, "Even from a legal standpoint, when considering the current Public Official Election Act and existing court precedents, my conclusion is that new elections are fundamentally impossible in South Korea. Therefore, it is necessary to first amend the election law in a way that does not disregard the integrity of the election process."

Representative Na cited Article 222 of the Public Official Election Act as problematic. This provision stipulates that an election can only be declared void if a violation during the election process is deemed to have affected the outcome of the election.

She argued, "Because of the provision stating 'when it is recognized that it affected the outcome of the election,' the current structure makes new elections virtually impossible. Absolute grounds for annulment should include cases where voting was halted or substantially blocked, and in cases of other major procedural flaws, the burden of proof should be placed on the National Election Commission."

Additionally, Representative Na stated that retroactive legislation should be considered so that it could also apply to the June 3 local elections. She said, "The Constitutional Court has also ruled that retroactive application is possible when significant constitutional interests have been violated. We are considering including retroactive provisions."

Emergency debate on the revision of the election law co-hosted by the People Power Party Policy Committee and Assemblyman Na Kyungwon at the National Assembly Members' Office Building on the 8th. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

Jang Donghyuk, leader of the People Power Party, who attended the forum, also repeatedly emphasized the need for new elections.

Leader Jang said, "We have gathered to find answers to how we can restore the voting rights that have been taken from the people and how the political sphere will resolve this current situation. While it is important to prevent such incidents in the future, the political role is to provide answers to the current problem first."

He continued, "When the road is blocked, it is the job of politics to create a new path. Just because the current election law makes it impossible does not mean we should give up—this is not our role."

He also cited issues such as the ballot shortage, the continuation of voting after the release of exit polls, and improper management of ballot boxes, stating, "No one can know how many people gave up voting or how much these incidents affected the election results. It is not correct to simply conclude that there was no impact."

He went on to say, "In my view, the order of steps should be new elections, a special prosecutor, and then a parliamentary investigation. The most urgent issue to resolve is the matter of new elections."

Assemblywoman Cho Bae-sook also commented, "What citizens are demanding is new elections, but under the current law, this is only possible after the election is declared void through litigation. We must point out the problems with current law, prepare improvements, and provide solutions to the public."

However, even at this forum, the prevailing opinion was that the possibility of holding a new election under the current law remains low. As a result, the People Power Party intends to focus first on preparing a legal basis for new elections by amending the Public Official Election Act.

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