The ruling and opposition parties agreed to launch an independent counsel (special prosecutor) to uncover the facts behind the ballot shortage that occurred in the June 3 local elections. They agreed to have the legal community recommend candidates, narrow them down to two, and recommend them to President Lee Jae-myung. The special prosecutor act is expected to be handled during the July session of the National Assembly.
Floor leader Han Byeong-do of the Democratic Party of Korea and floor leader Jeong Jeom-sik of the People Power Party agreed on the morning of the 21st at the National Assembly to introduce the "Act on the Appointment of a Special Prosecutor for Fact-finding into the Ballot Shortage in the 9th Nationwide Local Elections and Other Election Management Failures."
The National Assembly decided to form a "public recommendation committee" for the appointment of the special prosecutor. The committee will consist of six members, with three recommended by each negotiation bloc. It will receive three candidates each for special prosecutor from the Korean Bar Association and the Council of Law Schools, then narrow them down to two and recommend them to the president. The president may appoint one of the two recommended by the committee as the special prosecutor.
The independent counsel act on the election commission is expected to be handled at a plenary session during the July extra session of the National Assembly. The ruling and opposition parties agreed to discuss later the scope and duration of the probe and the staffing level. Based on the agreement reached that day, the floor leaders will convene general meetings of their caucuses to seek final approval from their members.
The People Power Party has been calling for an independent counsel in connection with the June 3 local election ballot shortage. The party also held a joint meeting that morning and argued, "Following the parliamentary inquiry, we must reveal every last detail of the suspicions through the special prosecutor's investigation."
Jeong Jeom-sik, floor leader of the People Power Party, said, "On June 3, our people witnessed with their own eyes an electoral disaster in which the election commission trampled on the people's suffrage and shook the foundation of democracy, a constitutional outrage," and added, "People are asking why ballots were short, who should be held accountable, and why no one has taken responsibility so far."