Commissioners of the National Election Commission who were adopted as witnesses in the National Assembly's parliamentary inquiry into the June 3 local election ballot shortage scandal failed to appear in large numbers. The ruling and opposition parties alike raised their voices in criticism.
The National Assembly special committee on the parliamentary inquiry into the ballot shortage held its second meeting on the 23rd and checked the status of witness attendance before the first agency briefing. Of the nine National Election Commission Commissioners that day, seven, excluding former National Election Commission Chairperson Roh Tae-ak and Acting Chairperson Wi Cheol-hwan, notified nonattendance. Oh Min-seok, former Seoul Metropolitan Election Commission chairperson, and Min So-young, former Songpa District Election Commission chairperson—key figures in the scandal—also did not appear at the meeting.
Shin Dong-wook of the People Power Party said, "In a situation where the entire public is angry, I am seriously concerned about whether the election commission is truly prepared to cooperate with a fact-finding investigation," adding, "Even if there is no legal compulsion, this attitude does not align with the public's will to uncover the truth and our committee's intent."
The Democratic Party also strongly rebuked the commissioners' failure to appear. Kim Young-bae of the Democratic Party said, "How can they behave so irresponsibly?" and added, "The reason the public is devastated stems from the irresponsibility of the election commission's core executives, and that must be clearly recognized." He went on to say of former Seoul Metropolitan Election Commission Chairperson Oh and former Songpa District Election Commission Chairperson Min, "The more someone is a legal professional, the more that person must serve as a guardian who upholds not only this country's legal order but also the foundations of constitutional order."
Acting National Election Commission Chairperson Wi Cheol-hwan said, "In principle, all Commissioners agreed they should attend and give a full account of the facts to the special committee and the public," adding, "I believe they will attend soon." A standing Commissioner of the Seoul Metropolitan Election Commission also explained the background of the nonattendance, saying, "I conveyed by phone to the chairperson the need to appear as a witness the day before, but the chairperson's position was that appearing without a formal request letter would be inappropriate."
Despite these explanations, the ruling and opposition parties criticized the commissioners' failure to appear even more strongly. Joo Jin-woo of the People Power Party said, "The organized nonattendance by National Election Commission Commissioners is an organized act of defiance against the public," adding, "Attendance should be determined individually, but as a rule they should appear unless there is an unavoidable reason."
Yoon Kun-young of the Democratic Party also said, "Did they collude behind the scenes? How is it that only the non-full-time Commissioners failed to appear?" He added, "They could not present precise reasons for nonattendance, and without valid grounds they are saying they will not attend today's parliamentary inquiry."
Former Seoul Metropolitan Election Commission Chairperson Oh Min-seok and former Songpa District Election Commission Chairperson Min So-young are both judges. Former Chairperson Oh is the chief judge of the Seoul Central District Court, and former Chairperson Min is the senior presiding judge at the Seoul Eastern District Court.