South Korea's National Assembly Launches 45-Day Probe Into Election Commission Over June 3 Ballot Shortages

The National Assembly on Thursday launched a 45-day bipartisan investigation into the National Election Commission after ballot shortages disrupted voting at 26 polling stations during the June 3 local elections. Voting was suspended at some stations while workers manually wrote serial numbers onto additional ballots. Errors also appeared in vote counting and voter rolls in several regions.

An 18-member committee will examine the ballot shortages along with deeper structural problems at the commission. A fact-finding panel described the June 3 problems as a total failure and recommended criminal investigations into former NEC Chairman Roh Tae-ak and other senior officials. The commission was established in 1963 to shield elections from political interference.

More than 1,000 cases of irregular hiring have occurred at the NEC, along with taxpayer-funded overseas trips and generous bonuses despite declining standards. Election officials lowered the ballot-printing threshold from 60 percent to 50 percent without formal deliberation. Headquarters learned of the ballot shortages only after voter complaints arrived late in the afternoon of Election Day.

51 percent in the most recent election. President Lee Jae Myung has raised the possibility of a narrowly tailored constitutional amendment regarding the NEC. Britain, France and Germany maintain election authorities that remain independent while facing external oversight.

The fact-finding panel said the June 3 episode showed that independence had become a shield against accountability rather than a safeguard for neutrality.