South Korea’s President Lee Jae Myung announced Sunday that he has demanded a comprehensive investigation into voting irregularities that disrupted the nation’s recent local elections, stating that both prosecutors and law enforcement will participate in the inquiry.
“As one citizen and as the president responsible for the government, I express deep regret,” he said in an X post.
The country’s local elections last week were disrupted when insufficient ballots prevented qualified voters from participating in the democratic process.
Following the controversy, the leader of the National Election Commission, an autonomous organization responsible for overseeing the election process, stepped down from their position. Despite this resignation, thousands of demonstrators have gathered outside a vote-counting facility in Seoul, demanding that the local elections be conducted again.
In his social media statement, Lee described the situation as “difficult to comprehend” and criticized the NEC’s public response and explanations as inadequate.
The president revealed that he has requested parliament to launch a fact-finding investigation and develop preventive measures to avoid similar problems in future elections. He also indicated that he has called for discussions regarding structural changes to the NEC.
