DPK Proposes Renaming Election Commission to "National Suffrage Committee" and Presents Constitutional Amendment Plan

Establishment of Independent Audit Committee Also Proposed

The Democratic Party of Korea has proposed a constitutional amendment direction in which the National Election Commission, responsible for the ballot shortage crisis in the June 3 local elections, would be renamed the 'National Committee for Suffrage' (tentative name) and an independent audit committee would be established.

On September 9, the Task Force for National Election Commission Reform to Safeguard Suffrage within the Democratic Party held a report session on the results of its activities and delivered the constitutional amendment initiative reflecting these points to the Party's Constitutional Amendment Promotion Team. Song Ki-heon, who leads the task force, said, "We have discussed issues regarding the functions, name, composition, and audit system of the commission that require constitutional review and have formulated a direction for constitutional amendment at the task force level."

Yonhap News

The task force suggested that the constitution should explicitly mandate the establishment of an independent audit committee within the election commission, and that the commission's functions and roles should be redefined not only in terms of election management but also from the perspective of expanding the protection of citizens' suffrage. The proposal also includes requiring candidate recommendation and selection, parliamentary approval, and presidential appointment procedures when selecting the chairperson of the National Election Commission.

This constitutional amendment direction will be further advanced by the Party's Constitutional Amendment Promotion Team, led by Assemblyman Kim Tae-nyeon. Assemblyman Kim stated, "The reform plan for the National Election Commission is also an important issue that should be addressed in this constitutional amendment discussion," adding that "the amendment promotion team will carry forward the achievements and tasks developed by the Election Commission Reform Task Force."

Assemblyman Kim also urged the cooperation of the People Power Party, which has expressed a negative stance on constitutional amendment. He said, "I do not believe that the People Power Party has entirely blocked the process of constitutional amendment," and added, "If we proceed with the amendment at a time when strategic political calculations are minimized, I believe there will be ample opportunities for dialogue with the People Power Party and room to achieve results."

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