Jang Dong-hyuk Calls for Special Investigation into Ballot Shortage

Jang Dong-hyuk, leader of the People Power Party, proposed on June 9 that he and Democratic Party leader Jeong Cheong-rae meet immediately to discuss advancing a special investigation into the ballot shortage that occurred during the June 3 local elections.

At a press conference held at the National Assembly, Jang stated, "Yesterday, Jeong expressed his agreement to the special investigation, and I have heard there has been communication between the leadership of both parties."

He criticized the Election Commission's response to the allegations, saying, "Dismissing reasonable and plausible concerns as mere conspiracy theories and accepting the Commission's explanation as coincidence does not help resolve the issue and continues to generate social conflict and costs. Ultimately, a special investigation is the only solution. We must expedite the special investigation law."

Jang emphasized that the Democratic Party should not unilaterally push for a special investigator of their choosing, stating, "It should be entrusted to a special investigator recommended by the People Power Party to ensure public trust in the results."

He advocated for a nationwide re-election to address the ballot shortage issue fundamentally. "The only way to fundamentally resolve this deprivation of voting rights is through a nationwide re-election," he said. "Every day, new allegations arise. The evidence already available is more than sufficient to warrant a re-election." He added that the Election Commission should acknowledge its mistakes and declare the election invalid before proceeding with a re-election.

Jang also identified early voting as a contributing factor to the ballot shortage. He noted, "The various allegations raised clearly include issues related to early voting. If only the main voting had taken place, ballots would have been prepared nationwide in accordance with the turnout. The differing early voting rates and the adjustments made to account for early voters contributed to the ballot shortage."

He pointed out that the identical vote counts and percentages for candidates are all due to early voting, asserting, "We must extend the main voting period and eliminate early voting entirely."

Additionally, he urged for prompt amendments to election laws to allow for re-elections without early voting. "There should be no attempts to introduce or expand systems like electronic voting or electronic counting that the public finds hard to trust, especially in light of this situation. The People Power Party will not tolerate such actions," he concluded.