National Assembly Special Committee on the NEC faces ongoing criticism from ruling and opposition parties [Seoul=Yonhap News] 

The National Assembly's Special Committee on the Investigation into the Ballot Shortage during the June 3 Local Elections will hold a plenary session on the 1st to receive the second round of agency reports, summoning approximately 60 witnesses, including Minister of the Interior and Safety Yun Ho-jung.

Scheduled to attend today's agency report session are 8 current members of the National Election Commission (NEC), including former NEC Chairperson Noh Tae-ak and Acting Chairperson Wi Cheol-hwan, as well as Acting Commissioner General of the Korean National Police Agency Yoo Jae-sung and Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Commissioner Park Jeong-bo.

Previously, the Special Committee resolved to call 69 witnesses—including 3 officials from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS) such as Minister Yun, 30 from the NEC including Acting Chairperson Wi, and 20 from the Seoul and Songpa-gu election commissions—along with 6 reference witnesses for the second round of agency reports.

With the exception of 4 witnesses, including officials from the Songpa-gu Election Commission and the Jamsil polling station who expressed their inability to attend due to business trips or personal reasons, most witnesses and reference witnesses have indicated their intention to attend.

However, due to time constraints, the Special Committee reached a bipartisan agreement the previous day to withdraw the requests for witness attendance for some staff members of the NEC and the Seoul Election Commission.

As Minister Yun Ho-jung is attending in person, it is expected that the opposition party will raise the issue of responsibility for the MOIS—the ministry in charge of election support—while the ruling party defends it, leading to a heated exchange between the two sides.

Specifically, key points of contention are expected to include when the MOIS—which reportedly received several updates on the situation from the NEC at the time of the ballot shortage and held separate meetings—first recognized the severity of the matter, and whether it reported the incident to President Lee Jae-myung.

The People Power Party is also expected to question the police leadership, including Acting Commissioner Yoo and Commissioner Park, regarding the controversy over excessive force during the police's attempts to disperse protesters at the Jamsil Olympic Park polling station.

Following the conclusion of the second round of agency reports today, the Special Committee plans to conduct its first on-site investigation on the 2nd by visiting the Jamsil Olympic Park and the Songpa-gu Election Commission, where protests involving the blockading of ballot counting stations are ongoing.