President Lee Jae-myung Calls for National Assembly Probe into NEC Incident, Orders Joint Investigation Headquarters

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\r\n[Financial News] President Lee Jae-myung on July 7 asked the National Assembly to push ahead with a state investigation into the shortage of ballots at the National Election Commission (NEC) during the June 3 local elections. He also ordered the formation of a Joint Investigation Headquarters involving the Prosecution Service and Police.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Lee said, "The National Election Commission caused a major disruption to citizens' exercise of their voting rights during the June 3 local elections." He added, "The incident itself is hard to understand, but the response afterward and the explanation to the public were also insufficient."
Lee said, "The right to vote is a constitutional right that must not be restricted or infringed for any reason," adding that "this incident is a serious matter that undermined the foundations of popular sovereignty." He continued, "As a citizen and as the president responsible for the government, I express deep regret."
Lee formally requested that the National Assembly clarify the facts. He said, "I ask the National Assembly to promptly pursue a state investigation so that the truth of this matter can be clearly established and measures to prevent a recurrence can be prepared." He also requested that lawmakers discuss fundamental institutional reforms for the NEC.
He said the government would also respond at the executive level. Lee stated, "Considering the seriousness of the matter, the government will take all possible measures at the executive level." He added that he had ordered the formation of a Joint Investigation Headquarters involving the Prosecution Service and Police to clarify responsibility and thoroughly uncover the full truth of the case.
He also strongly emphasized the NEC's responsibility as an independent body. Lee explained, "The reason the chairman of the National Election Commission is classified as one of the Five Constitutional Offices of State is that the NEC is an independent institution with authority, duties, and responsibilities comparable to those of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches."
He added, "An independent institution that has lost the public's trust has no reason to exist." He said the NEC must take the incident seriously and clearly demonstrate a determination to carry out sweeping reforms and reforms that the public can trust, along with a fundamental review of its operations and election management.
Earlier, Noh Tae-ak, chairperson of the NEC, and Heo Cheol-hoon, secretary-general, resigned on June 5 over the ballot shortage incident. The People Power Party called for the creation of a National Assembly special committee on the state investigation immediately after the incident, and Lee had also sharply criticized election management lapses during a Senior Presidential Aides Meeting on June 4, saying, "If there is anything to be held accountable for, it must be clearly held accountable."
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west@fnnews.com Sung Seok-woo Reporter