Collective action from within forces chief election commissioner to quit

National Election Commission (NEC) standing commissioner Cho Hai-ju, right, poses with President Moon Jae-in in Cheong Wa Dae after receiving his certificate of appointment in January 2019. Cho submitted his intention to resign to President Moon after Moon rejected his initial resignation offer and suggested that he be reappointed as a non-permanent NEC commissioner. Korea Times file

By Kwon Mee-yoo

National Election Commission (NEC) standing commissioner Cho Hai-ju submitted his resignation which was accepted by President Moon Jae-in, Friday.

According to the NEC, Cho said that he is "quitting the NEC completely," leaving the future of the NEC in the hands of the current staff.

"I could endure political attacks from the opposition party and media, but I could not look away from the possible controversy over bias (for having me on the NEC) and the appeal of the staff members," Cho said.

Cho's three-year term was to expire today, but when he expressed his intention to resign to the President, Moon did not accept it, citing the stability of the organization, with there being a major election around the corner.

Legally, a standing commissioner can act as a non-permanent commissioner after the termination of their term. The main opposition party has criticized this move as holding a post for the current commissioner on the NEC, which should be a neutral organization.

Ensure neutrality, fairness

2022-01-23 17:05 | Editorial

The NEC consists of one standing commissioner with a three-year term and eight non-permanent commissioners with six-year terms. Considering the significance and fairness required for the post, the practice since the 1990s has been that the standing commissioner exits from the NEC when that individual's term expires.

According to media reports, some 2,900 staff members of the NEC issued a joint statement Thursday, urging Cho to step down. This is the first time NEC staffers have taken collective action since the commission's establishment in 1963.

In the statement, the staff wrote that Cho staying in the position would burden them from carrying out a fair election, as his initial appointment was already criticized because of his ties to the ruling party. They worried that Cho's achievements might be looked down upon if he stayed in the organization.

Cho's joined the NEC was mired in controversy, as he had served in Moon's election camp in 2017. Back then, Moon appointed Cho by bypassing a required confirmation hearing.

A Cheong Wa Dae official was quoted by Yonhap News as saying that President Moon accepted Cho's resignation offer this time around, as Cho's resignation issue has ignited a debate over the neutrality of the NEC.

Currently, one of the nine commissioner posts is vacant, but seven more are filled with pro-ruling party figures, as three each are appointed by the President, the chief justice and the ruling party, which currently holds the majority in the National Assembly. One neutral member is recommended by the National Assembly, based on the agreement of the ruling and main opposition parties.

The vacant post should be filled by someone recommended by the main opposition party, but the main opposition party's candidate, Moon Sang-boo, is stalled at hearings, as the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) has refused to accept him for having joined the main opposition People Power Party (PPP). After Cho resubmitted his resignation, candidate Moon also stepped down, saying that the NEC is "back to justice."

"It is never too late for justice," Jun Joo-hyae of the PPP said of Cho's resignation.

"There shouldn't be an attempt to hold a post with a trick at the end of one's term, but Cho submitting his resignation once again is justice."

Jun added, "An NEC standing commissioner maintaining one's post as a non-permanent commissioner is an unprecedented case. Just ahead of the presidential and local elections, we should block any attempts to undermine a fair election."

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