The Democratic Party of Korea introduced a special counsel bill on the 9th to investigate a ballot paper shortage during the June 3 local elections, submitting it as an official party position.
DP floor spokespersons Kim Seong-hoe and Lee Ju-hee submitted the National Election Commission special counsel bill to the bill affairs division of the National Assembly Secretariat that day. Han Byeong-do, the party's acting leader and floor leader, was listed as the lead sponsor. The nomination power for the special counsel was withheld from both the ruling and opposition parties and granted to a third party. "The Korean Association of Law Professors, the Council for Law School Education, and the Korean Bar Association will each recommend one special counsel candidate, and the president will appoint one of them as special counsel," Lee explained.
The special counsel team will consist of 30 dispatched prosecutors, 70 public officials, five assistant special counsels, and 50 special investigators. It will be given a 90-day investigation period following a 20-day preparation period. Depending on the course of the investigation, the investigation period can be extended through a National Assembly vote.
Cheon Jun-ho, senior deputy floor leader of the Democratic Party, said at a policy coordination meeting that day, "We must investigate clearly and thoroughly the infringement of voting rights by an unmonitored and negligent election commission." He then urged the People Power Party to "return to the National Assembly immediately and cooperate in passing the special counsel bill."
An election commission special counsel is a matter the People Power Party has advocated, but the likelihood of it cooperating in passing the bill is low. The two sides differ sharply over the "third-party special counsel." Jang Dong-hyeok, leader of the People Power Party, said on the 8th of the Democratic Party's "third-party recommended special counsel," "In the end, they intend to have a special counsel that suits their own taste," adding, "Who could trust a special counsel led by President Lee Jae-myung or the Democratic Party?" The People Power Party maintains that it should recommend the special counsel candidate, given that the current government bears responsibility for the election commission situation.
In response, Cheon said, "What is the ulterior motive behind insisting that only they should recommend the special counsel?" He criticized, "Are they perhaps trying to induce a result consistent with election fraud claims under the direction of leader Jang?"
