Representative Han Dong-hoon will propose bills responding to the ballot shortage during the June 3 local elections as his "first and second bills" upon entering the National Assembly.
In a post on Facebook on the 7th, Han announced, "I will propose an amendment to the Board of Audit and Inspection Act to allow external audits of the National Election Commission (NEC)." This is Han's "first bill." Emphasizing the necessity of the legal amendment, he said, "It has been confirmed that, contrary to lawmakers' intent, the NEC has become a sanctuary entirely free from oversight, to the point that even the basics of election management are under threat," adding, "This problem must be clearly corrected through new legislation."
Han plans to add provisions to Article 24 of the Board of Audit and Inspection Act, which defines the scope of inspection, to enable job-performance inspections of the NEC and election commissions at all levels.
Han also referred to the 2023 case in which the Board of Audit and Inspection attempted to inspect the NEC over an "illegal hiring scandal" but was ruled unconstitutional by the Constitutional Court, criticizing it as a "wrong decision." He warned, "If the NEC again files a competence dispute over this legislation, the NEC will be dismantled by the people." Bae Hyun-jin, a People Power Party lawmaker considered "pro-Han," lent her support, saying, "I will co-propose Han's first bill."
In another post in the afternoon, Han expressed his intention to "propose a bill to prevent the practice of NEC employees intensively using vacation and leave ahead of election days." Han said, "I will propose, as my second bill, reform legislation that restricts NEC employees' indiscriminate use of vacation and leave during nationwide elections to the level of private workplaces."
He pointed out, "During nationwide election periods, when NEC duties are mostly concentrated, the leave of employees with expertise in election management becomes concentrated, leading to continued poor election management."
