Ruling and Opposition Parties Slam NEC Over Ballot Shortage... "Pulling the Wool Over Our Eyes," "A Laughingstock Around the World"

Ruling and opposition party lawmakers alike criticized the shortage of ballot papers during the June 3 local elections and the National Election Commission's follow-up measures on Oct. 7.

Yang Bu-nam of the Democratic Party of Korea said during a parliamentary audit by the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee of the NEC and other bodies, "They made a promise to the entire nation, but now they are just trying to pull the wool over our eyes," adding, "The NEC has no intention of making any improvements at all. It's deplorable to think about why we held a parliamentary investigation."

(SEOUL, Oct. 7 (Yonhap) -- Wi Cheolhwan, acting chair of the National Election Commission, greets attendees after delivering his opening remarks at a parliamentary audit by the National Assembly’s Public Administration and Security Committee on Oct. 7, 2026, as he prepares to leave the hearing room. Photo by Hwang Gwangmo

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Yang pointed out that the Democratic Party's call to have the number of ballot papers to be printed determined by a resolution of the NEC had not been reflected. He said, "There is absolutely no will to improve. It's deplorable to think about why we held the special committee for the parliamentary investigation."

Yoon Geon-young of the Democratic Party referred to the situation at Olympic Park, where local election ballots are being stored, and said, "It has been 124 days since this became a lawless zone. What has the NEC been doing all this time?" He added, "Why has it just stood by and watched, letting this become a playground for some far-right groups for 124 days?"

Kim Young-bae of the Democratic Party said, "Today, all Democratic Party members of the Public Administration and Security Committee are sponsoring a resolution calling for an open recount and verification," and asked the People Power Party to cooperate in passing it.

The People Power Party also raised concerns about the NEC's management of elections. Park Sang-ung of the party said, "The chaos surrounding the NEC's work in connection with the June 3 local elections has made South Korean democracy a laughingstock around the world," adding, "The NEC is trying to get by with remarks such as 'we have no excuse' and 'we will redouble our efforts,' but that is not acceptable."

Regarding the security of the computer network, Park also said, "The election was held under conditions in which data could be leaked or manipulated through hacking because the internet, internal work and election networks were not separated." He added, "The NEC must issue a clear public apology and present countermeasures."

Lawmakers from both parties also criticized the NEC over its submission of materials. Kwon Young-jin of the People Power Party, referring to information on employees investigated over alleged hiring corruption at the NEC, said, "How can it make sense that the NEC knows nothing about employees being investigated over alleged hiring corruption that caused such a public uproar?" He added, "Isn't that dereliction of duty?"

Park Ju-min of the Democratic Party called for the submission of materials related to large political contributions, saying, "It won't work for them to manage things poorly, refuse to submit the materials, and simply ask us to trust them."

Wi Cheolhwan, acting chair of the National Election Commission, said in his opening remarks on Oct. 7, "I deeply feel responsible for undermining trust in election management through the shortage of ballot papers and inadequate handling of duties." He added, "We will use this as a starting point to rebuild the foundations of election management so that similar cases do not happen again."

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