Clashes over NEC

[Anchor]

Former National Election Commission Secretary General Kim Se-hwan's use of a so-called "second phone" to communicate with politicians has led to a growing political dispute surrounding the Election Commission between the ruling and opposition parties.

The People Power Party has announced plans to push for a special auditor law to monitor and check the National Election Commission, while the Democratic Party has launched a counterattack, citing Kim's participation in the ruling party's primary in last year's by-elections.

Reporter Lee Yoo-min has the details.

[Report]

The People Power Party is accelerating efforts to establish a monitoring system for the NEC, stating that unchecked power is bound to become corrupt.

They are preparing to introduce a special auditor system to oversee the NEC, similar to a special investigation team, and are also drafting a special law to review the election system.

[Park Soo-min/People Power Party Floor Spokesperson: "We have decided to pursue the special auditor law as a party line regarding the issues with the NEC, and we believe we can restore public concern and trust in the NEC."]

The Democratic Party also agrees that a monitoring mechanism for the NEC is necessary.

However, they pointed out Kim Se-hwan's participation in the ruling party primary while using a "second phone."

Kim registered as a preliminary candidate for the Incheon Ganghwa County mayoral election in August last year but was eliminated in the primary.

The Democratic Party criticized the ruling party for 'turning a blind eye' and focusing solely on undermining the NEC, calling Kim's actions an inappropriate breach of the commission's political neutrality.

[Kim Sung-hoi/Democratic Party Spokesperson: "'The corrupt cartel of the NEC' described by the People Power Party is an accurate self-reflection."]

While it is true that the NEC has provided grounds for 'election fraud conspiracy theories' due to hiring irregularities, they emphasized that such reasons would not lead to the impeachment being dismissed.

Regarding Kim's participation in the primary, the People Power Party argued that it was opportunistic behavior in a region favorable to the ruling party, questioning who he could have been communicating with using a name-hidden phone, given that he was appointed during the Moon Jae-in administration.

This is KBS News, Lee Yoo-min reporting.