Special Parliamentary Committee on NEC Ballot Incident Begins in Earnest... Bipartisan Criticism Over Widespread Absences

Ruling and Opposition Parties Divided over Single-Item Constitutional Amendment

The special parliamentary committee for a national investigation to uncover the truth behind the “shortage of ballots” that occurred during the 9th Nationwide Local Elections officially began its work on June 23. Both the ruling and opposition parties voiced strong criticism over the absence of some National Election Commission officials and their refusal to release meeting minutes related to ballot paper printing guidelines.

Sanghyun Yoon, chairman of the special investigation committee (People Power Party), stated at the committee’s first meeting held at the National Assembly that morning, “The infringement on the people’s right to participate in politics caused by the ballot paper incident is a grave issue that shakes the very foundation of democracy,” adding, “If the Election Commission wants to maintain its independence, it must lay bare its faults and undergo thorough scrutiny.”

On the 18th, at the first plenary meeting of the 'Special Committee on a National Investigation for Fact-Finding on the Shortage of Ballots in the Nationwide Local Elections and Election Management Reform' held at the National Assembly, Chairman Sanghyun Yoon struck the gavel. June 18, 2026. Photo by Hyunmin Kim

However, at the institution’s briefing that day, seven out of eight National Election Commission members were absent, with only Executive Commissioner Cheolhwan Wi (acting chairman) in attendance. The heads of the Seoul City and Songpa District election commissions also failed to appear. This was because the briefing was held without securing the legally required seven-day notice period for summoning witnesses.

Both parties sharply criticized the Election Commission from the outset. Dongwook Shin, a lawmaker from the People Power Party, said, “None of the key witnesses who are central to testifying about this incident have shown up.” Youngbae Kim, a lawmaker from the Democratic Party of Korea, agreed with Representative Shin’s criticism, stating, “That’s exactly right. Their absence is an irresponsible attitude.”

In particular, the Election Commission is also refusing to release the minutes of the meeting regarding the decision to set the lower limit for ballot paper printing at 50%. Yoon Kunyoung, the ruling party secretary on the special committee, appeared on MBC’s “Kim Jongbae’s Focus” that day and commented, “Are the election commission members living in another country?” Meanwhile, Beomsoo Seo, the opposition secretary, said, “What are they so afraid of?”

Meanwhile, the ruling and opposition parties are showing differences over the scope of the investigation and the direction of Election Commission reform. They are also clashing over the “one-point constitutional amendment” proposed by President Jaemyung Lee. Representative Yoon argued, “If we want to do this properly, we need constitutional amendment,” while Representative Seo countered, “What’s needed now is not constitutional amendment, but finding out the truth.”

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