"투표용지 부족 투표소 전국 91곳"...진상규명위 출범 / YTN

[Anchor] It has been confirmed that the number of polling stations that ran out of ballots on the day of the June 3 local elections increased by 41 from the previously reported 50 to 91. The National Election Commission (NEC) has acknowledged the severity of the situation and decided to operate a 'Fact-Finding Committee on the Ballot Shortage Incident' to determine the cause and responsibility for the shortage. Reporter Baek Jong-gyu reports. [Reporter] On the day of the June 3 local elections, Polling Station No. 2 in Jamsil 7-dong, Seoul, was in chaos until late at night. [Voter in Songpa, Seoul: Since it is now 6 PM, they gave me a number ticket for now, and whether I vote or not is a matter for later...] The NEC announced that the total number of polling stations nationwide that actually ran out of ballots has been tallied at 91 so far. This represents an increase of as many as 41 locations in just three days, compared to the 50 locations recorded as of the 5th. The number of locations where voting was temporarily suspended due to a shortage of ballots also increased by four, rising from 22 to 26. As time goes on, the scale of the National Election Commission's mismanagement of voting appears likely to grow. With this disaster recurring before the nightmare of the "basket voting" from the presidential election four years ago has even faded, reform proposals amounting to the de facto dissolution of the Commission are pouring out from the political sphere. The Democratic Party pointed out that the Commission holds both administrative and interpretive powers, arguing that the "armband" must be dealt with first. Meanwhile, the People Power Party is reviewing an amendment to the Election Act that includes "voting suspension" as grounds for a re-election. To reduce the so-called "armband-wearing" authority, the power of interpretation must be reduced. Personally, I believe that changes to the Public Official Election Act are also necessary. We are reaching the conclusion that the National Election Commission is an organization that is difficult to fix. It is a family business. Therefore, I believe we should dismantle this Commission and… Independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon proposed a bill to convert the position of Chairman of the National Election Commission (NEC) into a standing role, aiming to break the ties between the NEC and the courts that had previously appeared to be "one body." As the situation became increasingly serious, the NEC announced that it would form a fact-finding committee to investigate whether there were any additional polling stations experiencing a shortage of ballot papers. The fact-finding committee is composed of six external members, with lawyer Cho Hyun-wook set to serve as the chairperson. Although the NEC emphasized that it would thoroughly investigate the problems, causes, and responsibilities regarding this incident to produce results, it remains questionable whether the public or political circles will fully accept the committee's findings, given that trust in the NEC has already been severely damaged. This is Baek Jong-gyu from YTN. Video Reporters: Lee Sang-eun, Lee Seung-chang Video Editor: Lee Eun-kyung Design: Shin So-jeong YTN Baek Jong-kyu ([email protected]) ※ 'Your Tip Becomes News' [KakaoTalk] Search for YTN and add the channel [Phone] 02-398-8585 [Email] [email protected] ▶ Original Article: https://www.ytn.co.kr/_ln/0101_202606... ▶ Send a Tip: https://mj.ytn.co.kr/mj/mj_write.php ▣ Subscribe to YTN YouTube Channel: http://goo.gl/Ytb5SZ ⓒ YTN Unauthorized reproduction, redistribution, and use of AI data are prohibited.