The People Power Party and the Reform Party called for a parliamentary investigation and a special counsel into the National Election Commission. They argued that the sanctity surrounding the commission must be broken to identify the cause of the ballot paper shortage that occurred on local election day and to prevent a recurrence.
Kim Jae-seop of the People Power Party said on the 5th on Facebook, "This ballot paper shortage is an unconstitutional situation that violates the principle of universal suffrage and infringes on the people's right to participate in politics," adding, "We should not simply review election nullification suits, but clearly identify the cause through a special counsel."
Kim said a police investigation alone would struggle to properly probe the "sanctuary" that is the election commission. "The National Election Commission is an independent constitutional body," Kim noted. "This status of 'independence' was originally granted to protect the fairness of elections from political power, but in reality it has become a sanctuary," adding, "No investigation, no audit has been able to properly break through it."
Kim said, "Only a special counsel can get over that wall," adding, "Only by thoroughly and independently investigating to lay bare the facts in full can we block baseless conspiracy theories and restore public trust in our electoral system."
Lee Jun-seok, leader of the Reform Party, also took to Facebook the same day to stress a parliamentary investigation and a special counsel into the commission. Although Lee had been negative toward claims of election fraud, he viewed the current ballot paper shortage as a different matter.
Lee said, "Who among the public could accept that an agency that manages only elections failed to properly forecast and manage the number of ballot papers?" adding, "If it was intentional, there will be people who must be held responsible, and if it was a system defect, we must address whether the organization should continue to exist."
He said, "The ruling party must agree to an immediate parliamentary investigation. And the opposition should not hesitate and should make a clear case, keeping in mind even the possibility of a rerun election," adding, "If a parliamentary investigation is not accepted today, the opposition should escalate and demand a special counsel."
On voting day, the People Power Party, the No. 1 opposition party, called for a rerun election, but after Oh Se-hoon pulled off a dramatic comeback victory on the morning of the 4th, it shifted its offensive to a parliamentary investigation and a special counsel. As the Democratic Party of Korea also acknowledged the commission's responsibility to some extent, it appears difficult for the opposition to flatly reject demands for a parliamentary investigation.
Jeon Yong-gi, senior deputy floor spokesperson for communications of the Democratic Party of Korea, said the previous day, "With a heavy sense of responsibility, the Democratic Party of Korea will review the overall election management system," adding, "We will actively pursue necessary institutional improvements to ensure that the people's precious right to vote is not infringed under any circumstances."