National Election Commission [Yonhap News File Photo]

The National Election Commission (NEC) has dismissed the election appeals filed by the People Power Party (PPP) regarding the Seoul mayoral election and other contests, citing issues such as the shortage of ballot papers during the June 3 local elections.

In response, the People Power Party has signaled its intention to pursue litigation to nullify the election results.

In a press release on the 12th, the NEC stated, "Regarding the 261 appeals for election invalidation or nullification of elected candidates for city and provincial governors, superintendents of education, and proportional representation metropolitan council members in the June 3 local elections, we have decided to dismiss 112 cases and reject 149 cases."

Regarding the appeal filed by the People Power Party against the Seoul mayoral election, the NEC stated, "While there were indeed violations of election regulations concerning the shortage of ballots and the suspension of voting in certain polling stations, we have dismissed the appeal as these facts cannot be viewed as having affected the overall outcome of the election."

The NEC also dismissed the appeals filed by the People Power Party concerning the proportional representation elections for the Seoul Metropolitan Council, the Busan mayoral and Busan Metropolitan Council proportional representation elections, the Incheon mayoral and Incheon Metropolitan Council proportional representation elections, and the Ulsan mayoral and Ulsan Metropolitan Council proportional representation elections.

Furthermore, the NEC dismissed the appeals filed by the People Power Party regarding the Gyeonggi provincial gubernatorial election and Gyeonggi Provincial Council proportional representation election, the North Chungcheong provincial gubernatorial and North Chungcheong Provincial Council proportional representation elections, and the Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City mayoral and Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City Council proportional representation elections.

The New Reform Party also filed appeals regarding the Seoul Metropolitan Council proportional representation election, as well as the mayoral elections for Busan, Daegu, Incheon, and the Gyeonggi gubernatorial election, all of which were also dismissed.

The NEC acknowledged that there were indeed violations of election regulations in the cases of the Seoul, Busan, Incheon mayoral elections and the Gyeonggi gubernatorial election.

An NEC official explained the meaning of "violation of regulations," stating, "Article 6, Paragraph 1 of the Public Official Election Act stipulates that 'the state must take necessary measures to ensure that eligible voters can exercise their right to vote.' If a suspension of voting occurs, it can be viewed as a violation of this regulation."

However, the NEC dismissed the appeals regarding the Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City mayoral, Ulsan mayoral, and North Chungcheong gubernatorial elections, stating, "As no violations of election regulations were acknowledged, there is no need to examine whether the results were affected." This implies that there were no voting interruptions in those regions.

Previously, the NEC had also dismissed or rejected election appeals regarding the Seoul mayoral election that were filed by general voters.

Following the dismissal of the appeals, the People Power Party plans to file a lawsuit to invalidate the election at the party level.

Prior to the announcement of the NEC's decision, Representative Jang Dong-hyuk told Yonhap News when asked if the party would file a lawsuit if the election appeals were dismissed, "We must go to court."

Floor Leader Jeong Jeom-sik, who had previously maintained a relatively cautious stance, also met with reporters at the National Assembly and said, "We will review the possibility of filing a lawsuit," adding, "(If we file a lawsuit,) the recently surfaced controversies regarding potential computer tampering, in addition to the ballot shortage issue, could be included as grounds for the lawsuit."

Since the People Power Party reached a consensus during the general meeting of lawmakers while filing the initial election appeals, they are expected to move forward with the election nullification lawsuit following a decision by the Supreme Council, without convening additional general meetings.

The New Reform Party is expected to decide whether to file an election nullification lawsuit after completing a legal review.

Those who object to the NEC's dismissal or rejection of an appeal may file a lawsuit in court within 10 days of receiving the written decision.