Rival Parties Agree on Election Commission Special Counsel Bill, Aiming for Plenary Session Today

The ruling and opposition parties have agreed on the details of the special counsel bill regarding the Election Commission over the June 3 ballot paper shortage incident.

The floor whips of both parties announced during a briefing that Democratic Party Acting Leader and Floor Leader Han Byung-do and Senior Deputy Floor Leader Chun Joon-ho, along with People Power Party Floor Leader Jung Jeom-shik and Senior Deputy Floor Leader Kim Seung-su, met at the National Assembly today (the 30th) and reached this agreement.

The official title of the special counsel bill was set as the "Act on the Appointment of a Special Counsel to Investigate Allegations of Infringement on Citizens' Right to Vote, Such as the Ballot Paper Shortage Incident in the 9th National Simultaneous Local Elections."

Final agreements were also reached on the core contentious issues, including the target and scope of the special counsel's investigation.

Senior Deputy Floor Leader Chun explained, "Discussions took place regarding the core issues, targets, and scope of the investigation concerning the formation of the special counsel," adding, "The finalized details will be delivered in the form of an agreement to the secretaries of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee from both parties."

He continued, "The secretaries of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee from both parties will proceed with the specific drafting of the articles," and added, "Except for minor details, an agreement has been reached, so it is expected to be completed swiftly."

Accordingly, the two parties plan to process the bill in a plenary session this afternoon following the Legislation and Judiciary Committee's review as soon as the drafting of the bill is completed.

Previously, the rival parties agreed on the 21st to form a public recommendation committee to appoint the Election Commission special counsel.

The public recommendation committee will receive three candidates each from the Korean Bar Association and the Legal Education Consortium, recommend two of them to the President through an agreement between the ruling and opposition parties, and the President will appoint one of the two as the special counsel.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.