President Lee Jae-myung says NEC incident differs from election-fraud claims, thanks young people for raising concerns

[Financial News] President Lee Jae-myung said on the 8th that he was "grateful to the young people who made me think about this issue from the ground up" in connection with the shortage of ballots during the June 3 local elections. He stressed that the incident was different from election-fraud claims and said the government would prepare fundamental measures to ensure that the exercise of sovereignty is properly guaranteed.
At the press conference marking his first anniversary in office at the Yeongbingwan State Guest House that day, Lee was asked about additional measures to address the ballot shortage. He called it "truly absurd" and said it was "something that undermined everything in an instant in advanced, model democratic South Korea."
Lee said, "Even in countries with a lower level of democratic development, if people say they could not vote because there were no ballots, it would be hard to imagine and shocking." He added, "Raising the question of whether people can be prevented from voting is completely different from election-fraud claims that spread falsehoods for political purposes."
Lee then referred to Prime Minister Kim Min-seok's meeting with student council presidents who had criticized the ballot shortage. He said, "The young people who pointed out this problem are truly valuable and worthy of respect," adding, "As I watched young people mainly raise the issue, I thought my own sensitivity may have become dulled."
Lee said, "If the government, without any countermeasures, had allowed the people of the Republic of Korea, a democratic republic, to be unable to exercise their voting rights, that is not a matter of the outcome. The act itself is a serious problem." He added, "If the criticism is that respect for popular sovereignty existed only in words and not in reality, that is truly serious."
He continued, "I also reflect deeply on the fundamental issue of exercising sovereignty in the Republic of Korea, a democratic republic," and said, "We need to come up with fundamental measures. We were far too complacent."
Lee also noted that the National Election Commission (NEC) is a constitutionally independent body. He said, "The NEC is not subject to audits by the Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI), and the executive branch cannot audit it or even speak about it." He added, "Could there be criminal suspicion here? At the very least, the truth must be uncovered."
Lee said, "Since complaints have been filed, I said we should set up a Joint Investigation Headquarters and move quickly to investigate." He added that the government would gather key officials to hear views on whether there appeared to be a problem with the constitutional system.
He went on to say, "Since the NEC chair has resigned, we will leave that person out and have the heads of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea, the executive branch, the Judiciary and the Constitutional Court of Korea meet and discuss the matter." He drew a line, saying, "This is not something to dismiss by saying it is election fraud again. It is somewhat different from that."
Lee said, "We need to respond sensitively and prepare countermeasures," adding, "We almost let it pass lightly, but then this would have happened again. I am grateful to the young people who made me think about it fundamentally."
west@fnnews.com Seong Seok-woo, Kim Hyeong-gu Reporter