Representative Kim Eun-hye of the People Power Party poses a question to Kang Dong-wan, Acting Secretary-General of the National Election Commission (NEC), during the first hearing of the Special Committee on the Investigation of Voter Disenfranchisement held on the 14th. [Photo = Good News screen capture]

It has been revealed that voices within the National Election Commission (NEC) have characterized the organization as a "stagnant pool" and a "central-regional cartel," demanding the demotion of incompetent executives and the reform of its insular personnel structure.

This criticism is difficult to dismiss lightly, as it comes not from external political actors labeling it a "Sunpia (NEC + Mafia) cartel," but from the NEC's own staff writing on an anonymous internal message board. While the NEC did not provide these posts in response to the National Assembly's request for data, Representative Kim Eun-hye of the People Power Party obtained the documents through alternative channels and disclosed them during the parliamentary investigation hearing.

Representative Kim stated that she had requested the submission of internal NEC communication board data during the first hearing of the "Special Committee on Truth-Finding Regarding Voter Disenfranchisement, such as the Ballot Shortage Incident in the 9th National Simultaneous Local Elections, and Election Management Reform," held at the National Assembly on the 14th, but was refused. The hearing focused heavily on the causes of the ballot shortage, the NEC’s reporting and decision-making systems, and plans for organizational reform.

According to Representative Kim, the NEC claimed that staff might feel intimidated if the anonymous posts were made public. Rep. Kim argued that since no legal basis for withholding the data was provided, "I believe it was hidden not out of concern for the staff, but because of concerns regarding the organizational cartel."

Five posts from the internal NEC board disclosed by Representative Kim Eun-hye. [Photo = Hanmi Ilbo graphic]One of the posts disclosed by Rep. Kim was introduced as having been uploaded two days after the June 3rd local election ballot shortage incident occurred.

The author of the post wrote, "It is urgent to innovate an organizational culture that is strict enough to demote incompetent executives who lack research and study at any time." This implies that the responsibility for failed election management should not be shifted solely onto frontline workers, but that executives who set policies and directed the organization must also be held accountable.

Other posts contained even more direct criticism of the NEC's internal structure.

"The cartel is not something that exists only in 'narco-states'; it is still a work in progress here."

"Reform and organizational renewal have not happened even to the slightest degree; everyone is just keeping their heads down and waiting for this storm to pass."

The author expressed frustration that while NEC executives receive protocol and remain detached from external criticism, frontline employees endure low wages and excessive workloads. The post further criticized, "If you look at the cause, the committee itself is a stagnant pool," adding that the field organization is unable to properly challenge the flawed policies and guidelines from the center.

In particular, the terms "central cartel" and "regional cartel" appeared in the posts. It was also alleged that matters conflicting with the central organization are excluded from internal evaluations and that "there are surprisingly many people who sing the praises of the leadership (Yongbieocheonga)." This internal criticism suggests that the insular personnel and evaluation structure is blocking feedback from frontline employees and weakening the organization’s self-correcting function.

Rep. Kim asked Kang Dong-wan, the Acting Secretary-General of the NEC, who exactly the "incompetent executives who lack research and study" and the "central cartel" mentioned in the posts were referring to. Acting Secretary-General Kang replied, "I do not know."

Rep. Kim also asked Wi Cheol-hwan, Acting Chairperson of the NEC, "Have you ever thought that if you are an obstacle to innovation, you yourself, as a standing commissioner, should step down as a target for reform?" Acting Chairperson Wi replied, "If there are parts to reflect upon, I will reflect on them." Both acting officials attended the hearing that day to answer questions from lawmakers regarding the NEC's accountability and follow-up reform measures.

Kim Gyu-beom, the former head of the NEC labor union, who attended as a witness, also cited the lack of external auditing and oversight as a problem.

The former union head pointed out that while the NEC has conducted its own audits without undergoing substantive inspections by external agencies, the public does not trust the results. He suggested that the boundaries between job inspections and accounting audits should be adjusted to allow the Board of Audit and Inspection to conduct effective audits of the NEC.

He stated that problems would not be solved merely through constitutional amendments or by making NEC commissioners full-time positions, asserting, "The inside must be cleaned up first." Regarding the structure where standing commissioners of provincial and municipal election commissions across the country are appointed solely through internal promotion, he expressed the opinion that a certain portion needs to be opened to external candidates.

The fact that NEC members themselves used terms like "stagnant pool," "central cartel," "regional cartel," and "singing praises" to criticize the organization’s personnel and decision-making structure is a problem the NEC must examine for itself. It must also be revealed what fact-finding and internal inspections the NEC conducted after these posts were uploaded.

A screen capture of Lee Jae-myung’s Facebook page from January 2017.

Response of "Election fraud is an individual's claim"... Recalling Lee Jae-myung's 2017 remarks

Before disclosing the contents of the internal message board, Rep. Kim also brought up Lee Jae-myung’s 2017 remarks regarding election fraud.

Rep. Kim asked the NEC, "Are the claims of a politician who spoke of 'unprecedented election fraud,' 'large-scale election interference by state agencies,' and 'computerized vote-counting fraud' correct?" When the NEC officials replied, "I think that is that individual's personal claim" and "I don't think it is correct," Rep. Kim revealed, "That was said by Lee Jae-myung in 2017."

On January 7, 2017, while serving as the Mayor of Seongnam, Lee Jae-myung defined the 18th Presidential Election as an "unprecedented election fraud" on his social media account. At the time, he claimed, "From large-scale election interference by state agencies to vote-counting fraud," and argued, "We must block vote-counting fraud at the source through manual counting at polling stations."

He also stated, "Many citizens suspect computerized vote-counting fraud, and grounds to justify that suspicion are being revealed." These remarks can be verified through news reports from that time and Lee's remaining social media posts.

On the other hand, at a video meeting of senior aides on June 14, 2026, Lee Jae-myung acknowledged the citizens' legitimate raising of issues regarding the June 3rd ballot shortage incident, but also said, "Spreading theories of election fraud while talking about the manipulation of election results is an antisocial act that distorts the essence of the problem and insults the valuable voices of the people."

The contexts of the events involving the 2017 and 2026 remarks are not identical. The 2017 remarks raised both state-level interference in the presidential election and suspicions regarding vote counting, while the 2026 remarks criticized the exaggeration of the ballot shortage incident into claims of rigged election results, as well as some illegal acts in the field.

However, it is clear that Lee Jae-myung himself previously asserted "vote-counting fraud" and "suspicions of computerized vote-counting fraud." Rep. Kim criticized this, saying, "If you label people with conspiracy theories just because you don't like them or because they are not on your side, you never know who will be hit by the sword you swung," adding, "It is a tragedy for a politician to fight against their own past."

The NEC has emphasized fair and complete election management in front of the public. However, criticisms referring to the organization as a "stagnant pool" and an "ongoing cartel" have erupted from within.

The starting point for NEC reform does not lie in hiding message boards. It lies in revealing why internal staff used such expressions and putting its personnel, auditing, and decision-making structures on an external verification table.