On the 20th, People Power Party lawmaker Joo Jin-woo holds a press conference at the National Assembly Communication Hall to announce the proposal of the 'Anti-NEC Mafia 3-Act Package,' which includes measures to restrict private contracts by the National Election Commission. [Yonhap News] 

People Power Party lawmaker Joo Jin-woo announced on the 20th that he has proposed the so-called "Anti-NEC Mafia (Sunpia) 3-Act Package," which includes strict restrictions on private contracts by the National Election Commission (NEC).

During a press conference at the National Assembly that day, Rep. Joo stated, "The interference of former officials and their family-owned companies in business interests, opaque private contracts, and suspicions surrounding overseas production and supply must no longer be repeated," adding, "Through the 'Anti-NEC Mafia 3-Act Package,' I will build an election management system that the public can trust."

The amendment to the NEC Act establishes open competitive bidding as the standard practice, allowing private contracts only when both competitive bidding and re-bidding processes have failed.

The amendment also includes provisions to prohibit the splitting of contracts and the setting of bidding conditions that favor specific companies, and mandates that the details and justifications for private contracts be made public for 10 years.

The amendment to the Public Official Election Act mandates the domestic production of key election materials, such as ballots, ballot boxes, voting booths, ballot printers, ballot scanners, and security seals. Violations will result in the termination or cancellation of contracts, the recovery of contract payments, and restrictions on bidding eligibility.

In addition, the amendment requires that voting records, vote counting records, tally records, and election records—which are currently kept only during the term of the elected official—be digitized and preserved permanently.