The Democratic Party announced it will hold a convention to elect its next leader on August 17. The party also plans to establish a special committee to investigate the recent shortage of ballots during the June 3 local elections.
Kang Jun-hyun, the party's chief spokesperson, spoke to reporters after the Supreme Council meeting on June 10, stating, "I will announce the decisions made during the closed meeting," adding, "We agreed to hold the convention on August 17."
Kang explained that the final decisions regarding the timing and procedures for the convention will be made by the convention preparation committee. He noted that the party's committee meeting on the same day and the Central Committee meeting scheduled for June 16 will discuss simplifying procedures or adding provisions related to the convention.
In response to the recent controversy over the ballot shortage, Kang announced the establishment of a temporary special committee, tentatively named the 'Election Management System Improvement Special Committee.'
Kang stated, "This will run concurrently with the 'Election System Reform Task Force' operated by the parliamentary leadership. We will maintain an equal ratio of internal and external members," adding that confirmed internal members include Lee Jae-young, the current head of the Democratic Research Institute, and Hong Chang-min, CEO of Animoobi, as an external member.
He continued, "The special committee can be composed of no more than 30 members according to party rules. The specific number and list will need to be discussed internally," noting that lawmakers participating in the task force are also expected to join.
Earlier, Jung Cheong-rae, the party leader, had hinted at the formation of a special committee for election reform during the Supreme Council meeting. He emphasized, "Democracy must not be compromised for any reason. We need to implement fundamental reforms in the election management system," and pledged that the Democratic Party would quickly activate the special committee to thoroughly investigate the situation.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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