President Lee Jae-myung on the 19th raised the possibility of a "one-point constitutional amendment" on the National Election Commission in connection with the shortage of ballot papers in the June 3 local elections.
At a briefing in the afternoon at the Chunchugwan press center in the Blue House on the results of his European tour, including the Group of Seven (G7) summit, Lee said, "If the ruling and opposition parties can reach agreement, we should at least pursue a one-point constitutional amendment on the election commission."
He added, "If necessary, even if it means the president introduces it, we should pursue a one-point constitutional amendment," noting, "Because the Constitution so clearly establishes the commission as an independent body, there is a high possibility of an unconstitutional ruling if we create laws and systems related to oversight, control, and checks."
Lee also said, "A Supreme Court justice serving as a commissioner naturally serves as the chair of the commission, but can it be right for it to look as if the chief justice effectively appoints the chair?" adding, "And I heard that, being nonstanding, they didn't properly report to work even on election day—can that be acceptable?"
He went on, "We should revise the legal and institutional framework as much as possible, and some degree of external monitoring and checks must be possible," adding, "Because proper monitoring, checks, and control are necessary, we need to overhaul the relevant legal and institutional systems."