1,242억 쏟고 '초유의 사태'..선거 때만 인력 부족? / SBS 8뉴스 / 2026 국민의 선택

Anchor It has been confirmed that the election management expenses borne by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the autonomous districts for this Seoul election alone exceed 120 billion won. Despite pouring in massive amounts of taxpayer money, they failed to even properly stock ballot papers. The reality of the National Election Commission's complacent organizational management was also clearly revealed. Reporter Kim Hye-young reports on the details. Reporter It has been confirmed that the total election management expenses paid to the National Election Commission by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the 25 autonomous districts for the June 3 local elections amount to approximately 66.3 billion won, including about 33.1 billion won from the Seoul Metropolitan Government and about 33.1 billion won from the autonomous districts. This includes about 2 billion won for ballot paper printing costs. In addition, the Seoul Metropolitan Government will have to pay an additional 21.8 billion won and the autonomous districts 36 billion won for future litigation expenses and reimbursement of election costs. Ultimately, a massive amount of local government funds—totaling over 124.2 billion won—is being poured into this election alone; yet, at the actual polling stations, a shortage of ballots has effectively resulted in the infringement of the right to vote. The National Election Commission's (NEC) staffing shortage during the election season is also a subject of controversy. According to the office of Democratic Party Representative Chae Hyun-il, as of the 1st of last month, the number of NEC employees on leave stood at 176. Based on May figures, 218 employees took leave in 2022, when the presidential, local, and by-elections were concentrated, and 172 in 2024, when the general election and by-elections took place. In contrast, the number stood at only 91 in 2021, when there were no nationwide elections. While legally guaranteed leave is a legitimate right, the recurring trend of increasing leave-elections in major election years has led to calls for more sophisticated management of personnel operations during the election season. The National Election Commission (NEC) maintains that it will address staffing gaps by increasing open recruitment, but critics point out that this is merely a stopgap measure without resolving the structural issues regarding personnel management that recur every election season. Experts also raise the need for external oversight. [Lim Ji-bong / Professor of Constitutional Law, Sogang University Law School: The Secretariat holds substantial authority, yet checks and balances on this Secretariat are virtually non-existent. Therefore, I believe it is necessary to strengthen oversight, particularly of the Secretariat.] This implies that high-intensity reforms are needed across the entire organization, such as changing the structure where eight out of nine commissioners are non-permanent. (Video Reporting: Kang Dong-cheol, Video Editing: Jang Hyun-ki, Design: Park Cheon-woong) #Election #NEC #ElectionManagement Copyright Ⓒ SBS. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction, redistribution, and use for AI learning are prohibited.