People Power Party Faces Controversy Over Jang Dong-hyuk's Unilateral Decision on Re-election Petition

The leadership of the People Power Party (PPP) has decided to file a petition for a new election with the National Election Commission (NEC) concerning the ballot shortage incident during the June 3 local elections, calling for re-elections in six regions. The party leadership held an emergency Supreme Council meeting on June 15 and decided to file the petition for re-elections covering all races (metropolitan/local mayors, metropolitan/local council members, and metropolitan/local proportional council members) in six areas – Seoul, Gyeonggi, Incheon, Busan, Ulsan, and Gwangju/Jeonnam – where voters' suffrage was infringed due to the shortage of ballots. Choi Bo-yoon, the party's senior spokesperson, announced at a briefing immediately after the Supreme Council meeting, "We have decided to hold full-scale re-elections." The PPP leadership stated that the decision had to be made urgently due to the approaching deadline for filing the petition (June 17).

Voices of criticism emerged within the party, labeling the decision as unilateral by the leadership. Some party members criticized the decision as an unreasonable and irresponsible demand. Representative Kim Yong-tae raised suspicions that the move was intended to tarnish the reputation of Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon. Oh Se-hoon's office stated that in the case of Seoul, it was a procedural matter for some polling stations and indicated they would "observe the situation." The Democratic Party criticized the action as a refusal to accept election results and an act for party interests.

An election petition must be filed within 14 days of the election day, with the deadline being June 17. The NEC has 60 days to make a decision after receiving the petition. If the petition is accepted, re-elections will be held within 30 days of the notification of the decision.