DPK seeks election commission overhaul

The Democratic Party of Korea said Friday it will seek to abolish the National Election Commission through a constitutional amendment after ballot shortages marred the June 3 local elections. The party wants to revise constitutional provisions guaranteeing the commission's independence, rename the agency and place it under the oversight of the Board of Audit and Inspection.

The party's Task Force on Election Commission Reform to Protect Citizens' Voting Rights unveiled the proposal after its sixth meeting at the National Assembly. Rep. Song Gi-heon, who heads the task force, said the current commission would be dissolved through a constitutional amendment and replaced with a restructured constitutional body. He said the party also plans to change the commission's name and the way its members are appointed to strengthen its role in protecting citizens' voting rights. If enacted, the proposal would bring the biggest overhaul of South Korea's election management system since democratization in 1987.

The party also plans to amend the Constitution to explicitly make the election commission subject to audits by the Board of Audit and Inspection. Song said the change would bring greater transparency to the commission's finances and operations, which he said had long escaped meaningful external oversight.

The Democratic Party of Korea also plans to revise the Election Commission Act. The proposal would make the chair of the National Election Commission, currently a post concurrently held by a Supreme Court justice, a full-time position. It would also increase the number of full-time commissioners from one to three among the commission's nine members. Each commissioner would oversee one of three areas: election administration, investigations and enforcement, or organizational management, a move aimed at preventing administrative gaps. The party also plans to require parliamentary confirmation hearings for the commission's secretary-general, who oversees the agency's day-to-day operations. Regional election commission chairs, currently concurrently held by chief judges and senior judges, would likewise become full-time positions.

The People Power Party, however, argued that a special counsel investigation into the election commission should come before any constitutional changes. Party spokesperson Ham In-kyung said a parliamentary inquiry alone would not be enough and urged the government and the ruling Democratic Party of Korea to immediately approve an independent investigation to establish the facts and hold those responsible accountable.


김자현 zion37@donga.com