Kim Min-seok: "Dissolving the NEC Is Difficult... I Am Deeply Considering a 'One-Point Constitutional Amendment'"

[Financial News] As public anger grows over the shortage of ballots in the June 3 local elections, Prime Minister of South Korea Kim Min-seok said he is seriously considering a 'one-point constitutional amendment' that would respect the independence of the National Election Commission (NEC) while subjecting it to outside checks and oversight.
At the forum on NEC reform held at a university in Songpa District, Seoul, on the 21st, Kim said of the 'one-point constitutional amendment' for NEC reform, "If possible, I hope we can push this forward through public discussion that goes beyond the ruling and opposition parties."
Kim said, "Democracy is truly a long and difficult road," adding, "I thought our society had advanced one step in democracy by properly resolving the 2024 South Korean martial law crisis, but we have run into a new fundamental problem," referring to the ballot shortage incident.
He continued, "The basic democratic right to vote has drawn public outrage because of the NEC's poor management, and at the same time, in the process of overcoming that, two problems have emerged: illegal and deviant acts that violate basic order and disrupt citizens' daily lives under the guise of democracy."
"Fundamentally, I keep thinking that unless we come up with an alternative that the public can understand, this issue will be difficult to resolve," he said. "It is difficult to dismantle it, and it is also difficult to return to the NEC under the former Ministry of Home Affairs."
Kim said, "I am deeply considering whether the only answer is to respect the NEC's independence through a constitutional amendment while placing it under external checks and oversight, and that is why I have been thinking a lot these days about a one-point constitutional amendment," mentioning President of the United States Lee Jae-myung.
He added, "The president also raised that point, and I have recently been asking constitutional scholars for their views more often. I am hearing suggestions on how to carry out a one-point constitutional amendment regarding the NEC's structure and independence."
He went on to emphasize, "The issue of NEC reform must be resolved to the end. If a one-point constitutional amendment is necessary, then we should do it."
Kim proposed, "This should not be approached in a partisan way," and added, "I hope the ruling and opposition parties, along with the public, can discuss it with the mindset of seeing it through to the end and find a solution."
He also said, "A comprehensive discussion and public debate on the overall election system are inevitable," adding, "This issue will inevitably raise various technical questions, such as early voting and voting hours. Even if not everything can be resolved, the discussion must begin."
newssu@fnnews.com Kim Soo-yeon Reporter