Democrats accuse rival party leader of 'political show' over election ballot shortage

The Democratic Party has strongly criticized Jang Dong-hyuk, the leader of the People Power Party, accusing him of engaging in political theatrics over the recent shortage of ballots in the June 3 local elections. Kang Jun-hyun, the chief spokesperson for the Democratic Party, stated that the People Power Party has reverted to a confrontational stance post-election and that Jang's remarks, which even invoked the "end of the regime," are concerning.

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The People Power Party has chosen a confrontational approach again after the election, and Representative Jang has used the ballot shortage incident to talk about the end of the regime.

Kang asserted that the fundamental problem lies in the flawed election management, not in any political machinations. He expressed worry that the People Power Party continues its "unreasonable offensive" by attempting to shift blame for the election management failures onto President Lee Jae-myung. The party emphasized that while the National Election Commission is constitutionally an independent body, the government and the ruling party have not shied away from addressing the issue.

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The core of the problem is the flawed election management, isn't it?

The Democratic Party has committed to all fact-finding measures, including a parliamentary audit, and is considering reforms for the election commission. However, they pointed out that the People Power Party's calls for a parliamentary audit or a special prosecutor can only be realized if they cooperate with the formation of the parliamentary standing committees for the latter half of the National Assembly's term. Without this cooperation, no legislative action can proceed.

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If the People Power Party is going to insist on a parliamentary audit or a special prosecutor, they must first cooperate with the formation of the parliamentary committees for the second half of the term.

Earlier, Jang Dong-hyuk had held a press conference demanding a meeting with President Lee Jae-myung regarding the ballot shortage. He also urged the Democratic Party to immediately form a special committee for a parliamentary audit and launch a special prosecutor investigation. The Democratic Party's response indicates a political stalemate, with each party accusing the other of using the incident for partisan advantage.

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We demand that the Democratic Party immediately form a special committee for a parliamentary audit and launch a special prosecutor investigation as soon as possible.