▲ The National Election Commission in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, on July 15.
The National Election Commission (NEC) will hold its first hearing on July 27 regarding the election appeal filed over the ballot shortage incident.
It is highly likely that this hearing will proceed with the appellant in attendance, which is an unusual occurrence.
The NEC stated, "We will conduct a hearing on July 27 regarding the election appeal filed by Kim Jeong-cheol, a Supreme Council member of the Reform Party who was a candidate for Seoul Mayor in the June 3 local elections."
A total of 139 appeals have been filed with the NEC, including 29 regarding the Seoul mayoral race and 110 concerning provincial governorships, with the first hearing set to begin on July 27.
Typically, election appeals at the NEC are conducted through document reviews.
However, for the first hearing on July 27, it is highly likely to proceed with the direct participation of the involved party, as Supreme Council member Kim Jeong-cheol has requested an oral hearing.
It is reported that there have been no oral hearings for election appeal cases in the past 10 years.
An election appeal is a formal objection process in which a party seeks a judgment from the NEC, claiming that there were flaws in election management or the voting and counting process.
The NEC must determine whether to invalidate an election within 60 days from the date the appeal is filed.
If the NEC accepts the appeal, a re-election must be held within 30 days from the date of the notification of the decision.
Previously, Supreme Council member Kim Jeong-cheol and the Reform Party filed the appeal, stating, "The NEC directly violated legal election procedures and the ballot verification system, including structural negligence in setting the minimum number of printed ballots too low and violating the principle of delivering ballots the day before the election."
They further argued for the "invalidation of the election" specifically for certain voting districts in Songpa-gu, where the alleged illegal acts occurred intensively.
The NEC had previously sent materials to provincial and municipal election commissions expressing the view that various issues that arose during this election, such as ballot shortages and the extension of voting hours, were "difficult to view as violations of the law or grounds for invalidation," drawing attention to what conclusion will be reached in this election appeal.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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