As discussions on reforming the National Election Commission (NEC) gain momentum following a ballot shortage during the June 3 local elections, the Democratic Party of Korea has presented a "two-stage reform plan." The proposal calls for prioritizing law revisions to make the NEC chairmanship a standing position, expand the number of standing commissioners, and establish an independent audit body, while leaving the question of allowing external agency audits as a constitutional amendment task. Since amending the Constitution requires the consent of at least two-thirds (200 members) of the 300-member National Assembly, the opposition's cooperation is expected to be key.
According to political circles on the 16th, the Democratic Party's task force (TF) on institutional reform to protect citizens' right to political participation is intensively reviewing institutional reform measures for a major overhaul of the NEC. The move comes after the ballot incident at 91 polling stations nationwide during the local elections raised concerns about infringement of voters' right to political participation, along with criticism that the NEC's response system did not function properly.
Rep. Lee Joo-hee of the Democratic Party met with reporters after the TF's second meeting that day and said, "According to the NEC's report, polling stations where voting was temporarily suspended and then resumed amounted to 26 across five regions, including Seoul, Busan, Daegu, Incheon, and Gyeonggi." She pointed out that "the entire crisis response system was inadequate, including not only the on-site response manual but also the reporting and dissemination system in the event of an incident."
Accordingly, the Democratic Party plans to first complete law revisions (stage one) to strengthen the NEC's functions and accountability, then sequentially pursue a constitutional amendment (stage two) to codify the grounds for inspection by the Board of Audit and Inspection. Based on its majority in the National Assembly, the party intends to swiftly handle legislative tasks, while pursuing the constitutional amendment—which requires national consensus—as a mid- to long-term task through separate discussions. Rep. Kim Young-bae of the Democratic Party, deputy head of the TF, said, "We are presenting a plan to pursue reform through legislation as stage one by this year's regular Assembly session, and to pursue the constitutional amendment issue as stage two early next year."
The core of the stage one reform is the reorganization of the NEC. Specific measures discussed include introducing a standing system for the NEC chairmanship, expanding the number of standing commissioners, and establishing an independent audit body within the NEC. Since the NEC chairman is currently a non-standing position customarily held concurrently by a Supreme Court justice, there have been pointed concerns about limitations in permanent organizational management and crisis response. The TF is reported to have reached a consensus on converting the NEC chairmanship to a standing post and increasing the number of standing commissioners from the current one to three.
The enactment of a special law to establish an independent audit body within the NEC is also under review. The aim is to make business inspection and oversight functions permanent by strengthening internal control mechanisms under the current system, in which direct audits by external agencies are difficult. The TF expects this will enhance the NEC's accountability and transparency while maintaining its independence. Measures such as imposing an obligation on the oversight body to report to the National Assembly or regularly disclosing audit results are also under discussion.
The stage two reform plan, which requires a constitutional amendment, includes measures to strengthen checks and oversight of the NEC through the external Board of Audit and Inspection. This comes as demands grow to set the organization's discipline straight by allowing the Board of Audit and Inspection to conduct job inspections of the NEC, which lies in a blind spot of external oversight. However, since the NEC is an independent body under the Constitution, a constitutional amendment is unavoidable to institutionalize inspections by the Board of Audit and Inspection. The Constitutional Court also ruled last year that the NEC is not subject to job inspections by the Board of Audit and Inspection. Since the Democratic Party cannot amend the Constitution on its own, it must secure the opposition's cooperation. Rep. Kim said, "Since the People Power Party is calling for the dissolution of the NEC, a constitutional body, we naturally expect them to cooperate on the constitutional amendment."
Within the Democratic Party, a cautious view has reportedly emerged over the plan to delegate the NEC's voting and counting tasks to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety. The concern is that it could undermine the NEC's independence and political neutrality by sparking controversy over the executive branch's intervention in the electoral process. One lawmaker belonging to the TF explained, "There are many opinions that the NEC should retain the authority to command and supervise elections," adding, "We need to further gather expert and on-site opinions on how the actual voting and counting tasks could be delegated."
The TF plans to hold a debate inviting experts on the 17th to refine specific measures, including the NEC's organizational overhaul and audit system reform. Internally, there is reportedly a strong sentiment that the broad framework of the reform plan should be finalized before the August party convention phase begins in earnest. Based on the results of the debate, the TF plans to prepare its first reform plan—containing measures such as making the NEC chairmanship a standing post, expanding the number of standing commissioners, and establishing an independent audit body—as early as the beginning of next month. A TF official said, "We will first prepare a reform plan at the TF level, then create the most effective party-level reform plan by combining the results of the parliamentary investigation and bills from individual lawmakers."
