Breaking News: President Lee Urges Swift Parliamentary Probe Into Election Commission Ballot Shortage – Seoul Economic Daily

President Lee Jae-myung on Saturday called on the National Assembly to "swiftly pursue a parliamentary investigation" into the ballot shortage that occurred during the June 3 local elections.
In a post on X, Lee said, "The National Election Commission caused enormous disruption to citizens' exercise of their right to political participation during this June 3 local election." He added, "The incident itself is difficult to understand, but the subsequent response and explanation to the public were also insufficient."
"Citizens' right to political participation is a constitutional right that must not be restricted or infringed upon for any reason, and this incident is a serious matter that undermined the foundation of popular sovereignty," he pointed out. He added, "As one citizen and as the president responsible for the government, I express deep regret."
Lee said, "I ask the National Assembly to swiftly pursue a parliamentary investigation to clearly determine the truth of this matter and to prepare measures to prevent recurrence." He also said, "In addition, I request that fundamental institutional improvement measures for the election commission be discussed together."
He continued, "The government as well, considering the gravity of the matter, will take all possible measures at the executive level," adding, "I have ordered the formation of a joint investigation headquarters involving the prosecution and police to clearly assign responsibility and thoroughly determine the full scope of the incident." He further noted, "The reason the chairman of the National Election Commission is designated as one of the five top officials of the state is that the election commission, like the executive, legislative, and judicial branches, is an independent body with corresponding authority, duties, and responsibilities." He pointed out, "An independent body that has lost the public's trust has no reason to exist."
He stressed, "The election commission must take this incident seriously and clearly demonstrate its will for intense reform and renewal at a level the public can trust, along with a fundamental review of its organizational operations and election management as a whole."
Original reporting by Jeon Hee-yoon for Seoul Economic Daily.
AI-translated from Korean. Quotes from foreign sources are based on Korean-language reports and may not reflect exact original wording.
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