Recount by National Assembly Special Committee on Election Commission Unlikely Tomorrow... Dependent on Appointment of Special Prosecutor

Ruling and Opposition Parties Tentatively Agree on August 18 Re-count,
but Disagree Over Special Prosecutor’s Presence
People Power Party: "If the Special Prosecutor Is Appointed, We Will Coordinate the Schedule with Their Office"

The bipartisan agreement to conduct a re-count of ballots by the National Election Commission, which was tentatively set for August 18, is now unlikely to proceed. This comes as the People Power Party has insisted that a special prosecutor for the Election Commission must be present during the process.

An official from the People Power Party, who is a member of the National Assembly Special Committee on Investigation into the "6·3 Local Elections Ballot Paper Shortage Incident," told Yonhap News on August 17, "The re-count must be conducted publicly with both the special prosecutor for the Election Commission and the National Assembly Special Committee present," adding, "If the President appoints the special prosecutor, we will coordinate the re-count schedule through discussions with the special prosecutor's office."

Yoon Sanghyun, Chair of the National Assembly Special Committee for Investigation, announced a recess to discuss on-site verification of the recount during the 3rd hearing of the '9th Nationwide Local Elections Ballot Shortage Incident and Election Management Reform National Investigation Special Committee' held at the National Assembly on August 10. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

Previously, on July 30, the Special Committee extended its activities by one month until the end of August and reached a tentative agreement to re-examine the ballots stored at the Songpa-gu counting center on August 18.

However, while the Democratic Party of Korea is calling for the re-count to proceed as agreed on August 18, the People Power Party is insisting that a special prosecutor be present to prevent evidence contamination, so a final schedule has not yet been confirmed.

The People Power Party, which holds the chairmanship of the Special Committee, has stated that if President Lee Jaemyung appoints the special prosecutor by the legal deadline of August 17, they will consult with the Democratic Party and request the special prosecutor's participation, allowing the re-count to proceed.

An official from the People Power Party stated, "It is sufficient for the special prosecutor and their assistant to attend the public verification site," and explained that if the re-count proceeds, the Special Committee's activity progress report could be adopted on August 28 as planned, without extending the activity period further.

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