[Source: PENN & MIKE] 

A public opinion poll revealed that over 70% of respondents agree with the dissolution of the National Election Commission (NEC).

PENN & MIKE commissioned the polling firm Joewoon Consulting to conduct a survey on April 12th and 13th. The survey asked 1,001 men and women aged 18 and above, "To what extent do you agree with the claim that the NEC should be dissolved?"

The results showed a significantly higher proportion of agreement, with △Agree at 73.4%, △Disagree at 20.1%, and △Don't Know at 6.6%.

Within the "Agree" category, 52.8% responded "Strongly Agree." For "Disagree," 9.9% responded "Strongly Disagree."

Responses in favor of dissolution by region were as follows: △Daegu/Gyeongbuk 81.2%, △Busan/Ulsan/Gyeongnam 77.0%, △Gyeonggi/Incheon 74.5%, △Seoul 73.5%, △Gangwon/Jeju 73.5%, △Gwangju/Jeonnam/Jeonbuk 67.7%, and △Daejeon/Sejong/Chungnam/Chungbuk 62.6%.

Interestingly, Gwangju/Jeonnam/Jeonbuk showed a more positive response to the NEC's dissolution than the Chungcheong region. Even among supporters of the Democratic Party of Korea, a majority of 58.4% agreed with the dissolution.

By gender, the responses were evenly split: Men (73.6%) and Women (73.2%). By age group, the results were △Under 20s (65.8%), △30s (74.1%), △40s (74.8%), △50s (75.0%), △60s (77.9%), and △70 and above (71.2%).

It is also noteworthy that the opinion for dissolving the NEC was considerably high among the 40s and 50s age groups, who are often described as being politically left-leaning.

This overwhelming public sentiment is understood to have been triggered by the widespread ballot paper shortage at 140 polling stations nationwide during the June 3rd local elections. Furthermore, the Seoul Metropolitan Election Commission extended voting hours without reporting to the central NEC, and the Songpa District Election Commission began vote counting before polling had closed, indicating a complete breakdown in the reporting and command structure.

The Anti-Election Fraud and Corruption Task Force (부방대) received 49 reports of suspected election fraud. Several tip-off calls were also received by <한미일보>, further fueling suspicions of election irregularities by the NEC.

Additionally, the public's sentiment cooled significantly when an investigation confirmed that the additionally distributed ballot papers were packaged in paper bags or zipper bags without proper sealing and sent without the presence of party-appointed members.

The Truth Investigation Committee concluded that "the NEC requires a sweeping innovation, bordering on dissolution," and referred 12 individuals, including senior officials, for investigation. They also proposed including the NEC in the scope of the Board of Audit and Inspection's performance audits.

In response, political parties from both the ruling and opposition agreed to process a 45-day parliamentary audit plan to review the NEC's election management. Pressure is also mounting, with local councils, such as the Incheon City Council, passing a resolution urging the dissolution of the central NEC and demanding a redesign of the organization to the extent of dissolution.

[Source: PENN & MIKE]

In a survey asking about presidential responsibility regarding the ballot paper shortage, 61.2% answered "The President is responsible," significantly outnumbering the 37.0% who answered "Not responsible."

While some supporters attempted to shield the President by stating that the NEC is an independent institution under the constitution and therefore directly responsible for election management and operations, the majority of the public perceived that the President, as the head of the executive branch and in charge of overall state affairs, clearly bore responsibility.

This implies that the President should take political responsibility by recognizing the disruption to voters' exercise of their right to vote as a serious democratic issue.

Consequently, Lee Jae-myung's approval rating also dropped below 50%. When asked about the evaluation of state affairs management, "Negative" responses (51.4%) surpassed "Positive" responses (45.1%).

In terms of party support, the People Power Party held 46.8%, ahead of the Democratic Party of Korea at 35.9%. The People Power Party's higher approval rating compared to the Democratic Party is attributed to the People Power Party's strong response, pursuing a parliamentary audit and special investigation into the ballot paper shortage, while Lee Jae-myung and the Democratic Party were criticized for attempting to downplay the situation as mere incompetence of the NEC.

Furthermore, it was revealed that the Democratic Party's failure to present innovative visions in handling internal party issues and criticism from within about becoming "entrenched" has increased fatigue among its supporters. The results are analyzed as reflecting voter disappointment due to the Democratic Party's internal factional conflicts, entanglement in zero-sum game logic, and perceived hypocrisy.

Meanwhile, 5.7% of respondents indicated "No party support."

The survey was conducted using a structured questionnaire via wireless ARS phone calls, with a 100% wireless RDD response rate and an overall response rate of 3.5%. The margin of error was ±3.1%p at a 95% confidence level. Quotas were allocated based on the population ratio by gender, age, and region, and weights were applied (rim weighting) based on the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's resident registration population statistics as of May 2026. For more detailed information, please refer to the website of the Central Election Survey Deliberation Commission.