Parliamentary Probe into Election Commission to Begin Tomorrow; Will Acting Chair Attend?

[Anchor]

The National Assembly's special committee tasked with uncovering the truth behind the ballot paper shortage incident will begin its full-scale operations tomorrow (June 23). With both ruling and opposition parties calling for an investigation without sanctuary, attention is focused on whether Wi Chul-hwan, the acting chairperson of the National Election Commission (NEC), will attend the meeting in person.

Park Chan-beom reports.

[Reporter]

The 'Special Committee on Fact-Finding Regarding Infringement of Voting Rights, Such as the Ballot Paper Shortage, and Election Management Reform' will officially commence its activities tomorrow, starting with an institutional report from the National Election Commission.

One day before the meeting, both ruling and opposition parties spoke with one voice, emphasizing the need for a high-intensity, unrestricted investigation into the NEC.

The Democratic Party urged the NEC to actively cooperate with the special committee's activities, arguing that if structural reform of the NEC is deemed necessary, a constitutional amendment should also be considered.

[Jung Chung-rae/Democratic Party Leader: (President Lee Jae-myung) also stated that if there is a consensus between the ruling and opposition parties, we should consider a 'one-point' constitutional amendment.]

The People Power Party also believes that a comprehensive investigation through this parliamentary probe is necessary.

The People Power Party argued that the investigation should cover not only the ballot paper shortage incident but also the controversy surrounding overseas business trips by former NEC Chairperson Noh Tae-ak and other commission staff.

[Woo Jae-jun/People Power Party Supreme Council Member: There should be no privileged classes or sanctuaries in the Republic of Korea. We must take this opportunity to reform the NEC from its roots.]

However, the People Power Party maintains that the introduction of an independent counsel takes precedence over a 'one-point' constitutional amendment for NEC reform.

The special committee meeting scheduled for tomorrow morning will include an institutional report from the NEC followed by a Q&A session.

Attention is focused on whether Wi Chul-hwan, the acting chairperson of the NEC, will attend tomorrow's meeting to personally answer questions from the committee members.

(Video reporting: Lee Seung-hwan, Shin Dong-hwan | Video editing: Won Hyung-hee)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.