Video

[Anchor]

A parliamentary hearing by the special committee investigating the National Election Commission over the ballot paper shortage is currently underway. However, fierce clashes between rival parties over the schedule for recounting ballots at the Olympic Park counting center in Seoul have delayed questioning of key witnesses.

Reporter Jeong Yunsik has the details.

[Reporter]

The Special Committee on the Parliamentary Investigation into the Ballot Paper Shortage for the June 3 local elections has been holding its third hearing since 10:00 a.m. today (August 10).

Around 20 witnesses, including acting National Election Commission Chairperson Wi Chul-hwan, attended, alongside regional election commission officials from areas where issues were raised regarding newly-raised suspicions of incorrect voter count entries and manipulated voter turnout rates by time period.

However, the morning session stalled without proceeding to questioning as rival committee members engaged in a heated debate over the ballot recount at the Olympic Park counting center in Songpa-gu, Seoul.

The Democratic Party maintains that the recount at the Songpa-gu counting center, tentatively agreed upon for August 18, should proceed as scheduled.

The Democratic Party pointed out that the one-month extension of the parliamentary investigation committee's term was specifically to recount the Songpa-gu ballots, questioning whether the People Power Party's refusal to conduct the recount on that day is intended to allow protests inside Olympic Park to continue.

[Yoon Kun-young / Democratic Party Lawmaker : We need to verify what needs verification, uncover what needs to be uncovered, and fix what is wrong. I do not understand why they are playing with this politically as if they are enjoying it.]

On the other hand, some lawmakers from the People Power Party counter that since a special counsel investigation into the National Election Commission will soon be launched, the on-site recount verification should be conducted in consultation with the special counsel.

They argue that opening the ballot boxes prior to the special counsel's investigation raises concerns about potential evidence contamination, and therefore, the special counsel's investigation must be awaited.

[Joo Jin-woo / People Power Party Lawmaker : We have to touch and take out all the ballot boxes, which raises the question of whether we can do so while strictly preventing evidence contamination and maintaining integrity like an investigative agency.]

The public recommendation committee for the National Election Commission special counsel candidates is scheduled to finalize and recommend two candidates to the president as early as around August 14. However, with rival parties expected to clash over the candidate recommendations as well, some forecasts suggest it could take considerable time before the special counsel is fully operational.

(Photo: Shin Dong-hwan, Video Editing: Seunghee)