One person recommended from each party and the President makes the final appointment
Disciplinary authority granted under National Public Officials Act
Kwon Seong-dong, floor leader of the People Power Party, attends an emergency committee meeting held at the National Assembly on the 6th and speaks on current issues. Photo by Oh Seung-hyun
‘[Seoul Economic Daily]’
The People Power Party announced on the 6th that it intends to propose a bill at the party level that would allow a special inspector to audit employment and human resource management, along with the election management system of the National Election Commission.
Kwon Seong-dong, the floor leader of the People Power Party, stated at an emergency committee meeting at the National Assembly on this day, “We are planning to propose the Special Inspector Act to restore public trust in the Election Commission, which has become a hotbed of corruption.”
Kwon criticized, “Chairman No Tae-ak made his third public apology yesterday. Despite apologizing three times in about two years, there has been no improvement in the Election Commission,” adding, “We cannot expect self-correction from the Election Commission, which consistently responds with weak measures.”
The ruling party’s proposed Special Inspector Act for the Election Commission involves the National Assembly recommending two candidates based on the recommendations of the first and second parliamentary negotiation groups, after which the President selects one within seven days to appoint as the special inspector. Additionally, up to 50 public officials can be dispatched from related organizations such as the Board of Audit and Inspection, Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, and the National Police Agency.
The special inspector can audit employment, human resource management, attendance, election management systems, organization, personnel, accounting, etc., of the central election management committee, and upon encountering issues defined by the National Public Officials Act and other laws, holds the authority to demand disciplinary action.
Kwon stated, “The recent hiring corruption and lax discipline of the Election Commission is comparable to the second Incheon International Airport Corporation case or even the second Cho Kuk incident,” referring to past controversies over employment practices.
He added, “If trust in the Election Commission collapses, it leads to distrust in the election management system, which directly connects to distrust in elections, the heart of democracy. We hope that the introduction of a special inspector will serve as a warning, preventing the Commission from engaging in unfair and corrupt practices while hiding behind the notion of being a constitutionally independent body.”