The 2nd hearing of the 'Special Committee on Investigation into the Infringement of People's Suffrage, such as the Ballot Shortage Incident during the 9th National Simultaneous Local Elections, and Electoral Management Reform' is being held at the National Assembly on the 22nd. [Yonhap News] 

On the 22nd, ruling and opposition parties clashed during the second hearing of the Special Committee on the National Assembly's investigation into the ballot shortage incident during the 6.3 local elections over the immediate push for a public recount of ballots from the Jamsil Olympic Park polling station.

Voices criticizing the National Election Commission (NEC) for its poor management and incompetence continued, based on results from CCTV analysis confirming that 91 voters were unable to cast their ballots due to the shortage.

◇ Ruling Party: "Immediate Recount" vs. Opposition: "Recount After Special Counsel Investigation"

While the ruling party insisted on an immediate recount before the special committee concludes its work, People Power Party (PPP) lawmakers Kim Eun-hye, Shin Dong-wook, Joo Jin-woo, and Choi Bo-yun argued that the recount should be postponed until after the special counsel investigation, which is set to be launched soon.

Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) lawmaker Lee Hae-sik pointed out, "The proposal was originally made by PPP lawmakers, but it seems the party leader's stance has changed since then. They seem to visit whenever they are in a political bind."

DPK lawmaker Yoon Kun-young, the opposition secretary of the committee, also said, "The recount was initially proposed by the committee chair, Yoon Sang-hyun of the PPP, and we responded to it to resolve public suspicion. If the parties have already agreed and a special counsel is going to be appointed, why postpone what the special committee can do?"

On the other hand, PPP lawmaker Joo Jin-woo countered, "A recount alone is insufficient to resolve all the current suspicions. I believe it is not too late to conduct the recount after the special counsel conducts an objective investigation."

Lawmaker Choi Bo-yun also pushed back, asking, "If we conduct a recount without discussing what we intend to verify through the special counsel's investigation, does that mean we will just have to do another recount after the special counsel launches?"

Lawmaker Shin Dong-wook raised his voice while mentioning the names of DPK members running for party leadership, such as Jung Chung-rae, Kim Min-seok, and Song Young-il, asking, "Have the DPK leader and candidates visited Olympic Park? Aren't you trying to disperse those people quickly because you haven't been there?"

When lawmaker Yoon Kun-young countered by telling him to 'speak only about your own party,' a brief shouting match ensued between the ruling and opposition lawmakers.

Former NEC Chairperson Noh Tae-ak responds to questioning while attending the 2nd hearing of the 'Special Committee on Investigation into the Infringement of People's Suffrage, such as the Ballot Shortage Incident during the 9th National Simultaneous Local Elections, and Electoral Management Reform' held at the National Assembly on the 22nd. [Yonhap News] 

◇ 91 Non-voters Confirmed 50 Days Later... "Is There a Reason for the NEC to Exist?"

Both ruling and opposition parties criticized the NEC in unison, stating that its poor management and inadequate response have not improved even after the ballot shortage incident.

DPK lawmaker Lee Ki-heon pointed out, "According to the voting records, the number of non-voters was 23; including statements from voting and ballot-counting supervisors, it was 45; and as of today, 50 days later, CCTV analysis results confirm 91 people. This shows that the systemic failure has continued even after the incident."

Lawmaker Yang Bu-nam criticized, "Among the 2,162 polling stations in Seoul, 653 cases of duplicate voting occurred in 310 stations, and we haven't even looked at the 104 polling stations in Songpa yet. If you look nationwide, the numbers would be countless. Does the NEC even need to exist?"

PPP lawmaker Park Soo-min emphasized, "The deeply ingrained inertia that has built up in the NEC for 65 years since 1960 was a more terrifying entity than any villain. I believe the special counsel must uncover the elements of illegality, and we must root out the laziness and complacency through reform."

The issue of preferential hiring of relatives within the NEC was also brought to the table once again.

DPK lawmaker Kim Yong-man pointed out, "Not only were children of former and current Secretaries-General hired, but also children of acquaintances, people dating the daughters of officials, and even future sons-in-law. Even more staggering is that the high-ranking officials who handed out these positions escaped through resignation or reaching retirement age before the audit even began, and with one exception, none of them received any disciplinary action."

PPP lawmaker Seo Bum-soo, the ruling party secretary, noted, "One person whose appointment was canceled in relation to preferential hiring had that decision overturned in court. This happened because the Board of Audit and Inspection and the NEC failed to submit evidence to the court. They knew that the cancellation of the appointment would be overturned, yet they took no action," he remarked.

Lawmaker Kim Eun-hye claimed that the police are conducting a 'shoddy investigation' into the NEC, pointing out, "I understand that the search and seizure warrant for former NEC Chairperson Noh Tae-ak's mobile phone was rejected. They avoided all searches and seizures in places where they felt political pressure."