President Lee Jae-myung on Wednesday called on the National Assembly to "promptly launch a parliamentary investigation" into the ballot shortage that occurred during the June 3 local elections.
In a post on X, Lee said, "The National Election Commission caused enormous disruption to citizens' exercise of their voting rights during this June 3 local election." He added, "The incident itself is difficult to understand, but the subsequent response and the explanation given to the public were also insufficient."
"Citizens' voting rights are constitutional rights that must not be restricted or violated for any reason, and this incident is a grave matter that has damaged the foundation of popular sovereignty," he said. He added, "As one citizen, and as the president responsible for the government, I express deep regret."
Lee said, "I urge the National Assembly to promptly launch a parliamentary investigation to clearly establish the facts of this matter and to prepare measures to prevent recurrence." He also said, "In addition, I request that fundamental institutional reform measures for the election commission be discussed together."
He continued, "The government, too, considering the gravity of the matter, will take all possible measures at the level of the executive branch." He said, "I have instructed the formation of a joint investigation headquarters involving the prosecution and police to clarify where responsibility lies and to thoroughly uncover the full scope of the case."
"The reason the chairman of the National Election Commission is designated as one of the nation's five top officials is that the commission is an independent institution with corresponding authority, duties and responsibilities, just like the executive, legislative and judicial branches," he said. "An independent institution that has lost the trust of the people has no reason to exist."
He stressed, "The election commission must take this incident gravely, conduct a fundamental review of its organizational operations and overall election management, and clearly demonstrate a strong will for renewal and reform at a level that citizens can trust."
