Rho Tae-ak: "I do not remember being briefed about reducing ballot paper printing"

The National Assembly investigation into the ballot paper shortage during the June 3 local elections got underway in earnest on the 23rd, as the National Election Commission (NEC) and other agencies delivered reports. Both ruling and opposition parties said they would scrutinize the issue thoroughly, with a special counsel probe also under consideration. On institutional reform, the National Assembly and the NEC agreed on the need to legislate external oversight.
The special committee for the National Assembly investigation into the ballot paper shortage in the June 3 local elections and other alleged violations of citizens' voting rights held a plenary session and received agency reports.
Former NEC Chair Noh Tae-ak, who oversaw the local election management, and acting NEC Chair Wi Cheol-hwan were among those who appeared. However, because the attendance was voluntary and not legally binding, some NEC commissioners and former election officials from Seoul and Songpa District did not show up.
Noh said he "deeply feels responsible for not having paid closer attention as chair," while the acting chair stated that he would "do his utmost to investigate the facts and listen to the public's views on countermeasures."
The NEC said it first became aware of the ballot shortage when the Songpa District Election Commission received a report at 11:34 a.m. on June 3, election day, from the Jamsil 4-dong Polling Place warning of a possible shortage. It added that 141 polling places received additional ballots, and 91 polling places actually used the ballots that were distributed.
Regarding the revision of the comprehensive management guidelines, which lowered the minimum number of printed ballots from 60 percent to 50 percent of eligible voters and was cited as a cause of the shortage, Noh acknowledged that the change was approved by the secretary-general. He said, however, that he may have received a brief report, adding that he did not remember being properly briefed. Lawmakers from both parties reacted sharply, saying, "That makes no sense."
The special committee plans to designate absent NEC officials as witnesses and compel them to appear in order to uncover the truth. It also intends to visit the sites of the ballot shortage, including the counting center at the SK Olympic Handball Gymnasium in Jamsil, where a blockade protest is under way.
The Democratic Party of Korea said it would push for a special counsel probe if illegal conduct is uncovered in the process, while the People Power Party said a special counsel investigation should proceed immediately alongside the National Assembly investigation. As both parties are entering the inquiry with a special counsel in mind, they are expected to summon all relevant figures and examine the matter thoroughly until the committee's mandate ends on August 1.
Proposals for reforming the NEC are converging on measures such as legislating external oversight, which both parties have called for. The NEC has also proposed making commissioners, including the chair, full-time positions and establishing an independent audit committee by law.
However, because the NEC is a constitutional body, the Constitutional Court of Korea has ruled that the Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) cannot conduct direct inspections of its duties. For that reason, the Democratic Party of Korea, as well as Lee Jae-myung, have called for a constitutional amendment to reform the NEC. The People Power Party says a constitutional revision should not be limited to a single issue and must be discussed more broadly and carefully, arguing that fact-finding and reforms that can be implemented immediately should come first.
uknow@fnnews.com Kim Yun-ho Reporter