National Election Commission Independent Counsel to Launch Soon; Reform Takes Backseat Amid Ruling-Opposition Clashes

[Anchor]

An independent counsel investigation to uncover the truth behind the ballot paper shortage is set to launch soon. However, discussions on the most critical reform of the National Election Commission are reportedly taking a backseat as the ruling and opposition parties clash over the recount of ballot papers at Olympic Park.

Reporter Son Hyeong-an has the details.

[Reporter]

On August 14, the National Recommendation Committee recommended two lawyers with prosecutorial backgrounds, Lee Tae-han and Lee Hyuk, to President Lee Jae-myung as candidates for the special prosecutor to investigate allegations of infringement on voting rights, including the ballot paper shortage.

Under the independent counsel act, President Lee is set to appoint one of them as the special prosecutor today (August 17). Following a preparation period, the special counsel investigating the National Election Commission over issues such as ballot shortages and voter turnout manipulation is expected to begin full-scale operations early next month.

Regarding the re-election issue, the Central Election Commission dismissed and rejected 261 election appeals regarding races such as the Seoul mayoral election on August 12. With the People Power Party having signaled legal action, the final judgment has been left to the courts.

Reform of the National Election Commission is entirely the role of the National Assembly. Yet, since its launch in June, the special parliamentary investigation committee has failed to present even a broad framework for institutional improvement, running parallel courses over the issue of recounting ballot papers at Olympic Park in Seoul.

[Yoon Kun-young / Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker (August 10): We need to verify what needs to be verified, uncover what needs to be uncovered, and fix what is wrong. I really do not understand why this is being politically exploited and enjoyed.]

[Joo Jin-woo / People Power Party lawmaker (August 10): The ballot boxes would all have to be touched and emptied, raising the question of whether that can be done rigorously while preventing integrity compromises or evidence contamination like an investigative agency would.]

Back in June, voices rang out calling for dismantlement-level reforms—such as introducing a full-time chairperson for the National Election Commission and strengthening external monitoring and checks—to improve the collapsed election management system. Now, however, those reforms have been pushed to the background.

More than 20 bills to amend the National Election Commission Act have been proposed since the June 3 local elections, but they have not even been subjected to serious discussion.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
(Video Reported by Lee Seung-hwan and Shin Dong-hwan | Video Edited by Yu Mi-ra | Design by Jeon Yu-geun)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.