People Power Party floor leader Jung Jeum-sik and other participating lawmakers salute the national flag at a debate held on the 25th at the National Assembly Member's Office Building regarding tasks for voting system and National Election Commission (NEC) reform. [Yonhap News] 

On the 25th, the People Power Party held a debate to discuss reform measures for the National Election Commission (NEC) in connection with the shortage of ballots during the June 3 local elections, reiterating its call for the appointment of a special prosecutor.

The debate, titled "Collapsed Trust, How Shall We Restore It? Tasks for Voting System and NEC Reform," was hosted by 'Policy 2830,' a research group of National Assembly members.

In his congratulatory remarks, floor leader Jung Jeum-sik stated, "To restore trust in election management, we need a thorough investigation into the (infringement of) citizens' right to vote during this local election." He added, "Although a special parliamentary investigation committee is in operation, it is appalling to see the arrogant behavior of witnesses who ignore the committee by failing to appear in droves or arriving late."

He further emphasized, "A parliamentary investigation alone is not enough; a special prosecutor's investigation is necessary," adding, "Depending on the results of the parliamentary investigation and the special prosecutor's probe, there must be a sweeping reform of the voting system and the NEC."

However, he also drew a line regarding the theories of fraudulent elections promoted by far-right factions, noting, "Our political community must take it seriously that if trust in the election system collapses, it is difficult to restore, and it becomes very hard to prevent the infiltration of fraudulent election theories and various conspiracy theories."

While the lawmakers participating in the discussion generally kept their distance from fraudulent election theories, some differences of opinion emerged.

Rep. Seo Ji-young said, "We need to be very careful when reforming the election system to ensure we are not associated with theories of fraudulent elections."

She explained, "When the Grand National Party lost the presidential election in 2002, someone raised the issue online that the election had been rigged. As it snowballed, a recount was conducted on a sample of 80 out of the 244 district ballot counting centers nationwide, and the result was a change of only one or two votes."

She added, "I am still very ashamed that our party made such a decision back then, wasting taxpayer money and aligning ourselves with conspiracy theories while engaging in such meaningless acts."

Rep. Park Soo-min also stated, "I fully agree with Rep. Seo," adding, "I originally thought there was a 0.00000001% possibility of a fraudulent election, but now I have changed that to 0%. This is because the situation was so chaotic that it would be impossible to systematically rig an election."

In response, senior spokesperson Rep. Choi Bo-yoon countered, "The party's position is that it is better not to speak preemptively about whether or not it was a fraudulent election," adding, "Neglecting negligence can also be seen as an intentional act."

When Rep. Choi further remarked, "We must be very careful about articles reporting that Rep. Park Soo-min said such things," Rep. Park replied, "I am fine with such articles being published."

Rep. Choi Hyung-du, who led the presentation, urged a fundamental re-examination of the early voting system, saying, "Tremendous problems occurred during just one day of main voting; if we investigate what happened during the two days of early voting, there will be an astonishing number of issues."

He further proposed, "We should also examine the amendment (to the Public Official Election Act) proposed by representative Jang Dong-hyeok to extend the main voting period to three days. Even if not that, we should consider an election system reform that limits main voting to one day and supplements voter turnout through mail-in voting systems like those in the UK, Germany, and France."

The debate, led by first and second-term lawmakers, was attended by the group's chairman Park Hyung-soo, secretary Park Soo-min, and lawmakers Kim Seung-soo, Bae Hyun-jin, Kim Mi-ae, Seo Ji-young, Lee Sang-hwi, Seo Cheon-ho, Park Choong-kwon, Choi Eun-suk, Kim Ki-woong, Lee Jong-wook, Kwak Gyu-taek, Kang Sun-young, and Choi Bo-yoon. Four-term lawmaker Yoo Eui-dong and three-term lawmaker Shin Seong-beom also participated.

'Policy 2830' is a legislative group launched in March with the purpose of preparing for the upcoming 2028 general election and 2030 presidential election.

People Power Party floor leader Jung Jeum-sik speaks at a debate held on the 25th at the National Assembly Member's Office Building regarding tasks for voting system and NEC reform. [Yonhap News]