[Anchor]

The National Election Commission held its first review today of appeal cases regarding the June 3 local elections. It has been learned that the Seoul Election Commission, where three members resigned en masse, is proceeding only with a written review. With the number of members participating in the decision-making process sharply reduced, controversy over the credibility of the outcome appears inevitable.

[Reporter]

The National Election Commission conducted its first review today concerning appeal cases related to the June 3 local elections.

Taking the floor for oral arguments, People Power Party leader Chang Dong-hyeok called for a re-election.

[Chang Dong-hyeok / People Power Party Leader: It is impossible to gauge how many voters were unable to cast their ballots and how extensively voting rights were infringed upon.]

On the other hand, Kim Jeong-cheol, a Supreme Council member of the Reform Party and another party to the appeal, demanded a partial re-election in areas such as Songpa-gu, Seoul, where shortages of ballot papers were concentrated.

[Kim Jeong-cheol / Reform Party Supreme Council Member: A method is essential to restore rights to those whose suffrage was infringed, and conducting a partial re-election is absolutely necessary.]

The National Election Commission will determine whether to uphold the appeals before the review deadline on the 7th of next month.

The Seoul Election Commission, where three out of seven election commissioners submitted their resignations and stepped down early this month, is currently conducting its election appeal review entirely through written documents.

According to SBS coverage, all three members who expressed their intent to resign have been officially dismissed, and only one new commissioner has been appointed, while appointment procedures for two party-recommended commissioners have yet to be completed.

The Seoul Election Commission maintains its position that a review can proceed if a majority of three out of the remaining five members attend, and that an appeal case can be decided with the consent of just two of the attending members.

However, given that three commissioners resigned en masse in protest against the National Election Commission's guidelines to dismiss appeals, reaching a conclusion solely through written reviews by a small number of members could spark controversy over the credibility of the decision.

An official from the Seoul Election Commission told SBS that there are "no plans to conduct an oral review" that would allow the appellants to attend and present their statements directly.

(Photo courtesy of Yonhap News)

Reported by Oh Young-chun and Kim Yong-woo | Video by Jeon Min-gyu | Graphics by Park Tae-young