President Lee Accepts Election Results, Criticizes Election Commission

SEOUL, June 4 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Jae Myung said Thursday he would "humbly" accept the public sentiment reflected in the results of the recent local elections, pledging to cooperate actively with newly elected local governments regardless of political affiliation.

Lee made the remarks during a meeting with senior aides at Cheong Wa Dae, a day after local elections and parliamentary by-elections in which his ruling Democratic Party (DP) won the majority of the seats up for grabs.

The DP, however, failed to secure the key Seoul mayoralty, while capturing the mayoralty of Busan, a conservative stronghold.

No matter how fiercely rival parties competed in the elections, both the ruling and opposition parties are "partners" who should safeguard the people's lives and secure a better future for the country on behalf of voters, the president said.

"The government, while humbly upholding the people's will reflected in the local elections, will actively cooperate with newly elected local governments regardless of party affiliation," he added.

The president also called on political circles to join hands to improve people's livelihoods and pursue balanced regional development and national unity now that the elections have concluded.

Pointing to an unprecedented controversy over a shortage of ballot papers at more than a dozen polling stations in Seoul, the president offered what could be viewed as a rare criticism of the National Election Commission (NEC).

"I express immense regret over the occurrence of a lapse in election administration that is not easy to excuse ... as election management should be more thorough than anything in a democratic republic," he said while calling on relevant authorities to use all available means to determine the exact cause of the problem and seek accountability if necessary.

Following a temporary suspension of voting due to a shortage of ballot papers, angry protesters had gathered at a polling station in Seoul's Jamsil, blocking the entrance at least until noon Thursday to prevent election officials from taking the ballot boxes for vote counting while alleging election fraud.

The main opposition People Power Party had also called for an immediate suspension of voting and a revote. The election watchdog has dismissed the call, saying the incident did not constitute grounds for a reelection or postponement under the relevant law.

Cheong Wa Dae earlier took a cautious stance, apparently out of consideration for the National Election Commission, an independent constitutional body that is not part of the executive branch, saying the issue of ballot paper shortage should be handled or addressed by the NEC itself.