No Tae-ak, Chairman of the Election Commission, "Repeated Apologies for Inadequate Information Security Management and Allegations of Preferential Hiring"

"Election System Improvement Measures... Strengthening Information Security Framework"
"Resignation Won't Fix the Election Commission Immediately... Will Take Responsibility"

No Tae-ak, Chairman of the National Election Commission, apologized again on the 13th, saying, "Recently, we have caused great disappointment to the public due to inadequate information security management and allegations of preferential hiring of children of high-ranking officials," and added, "As the Chairman of the Election Commission, I sincerely apologize once again."

No Tae-ak, Chairman of the National Election Commission, is attending the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee's audit of the National Election Commission held on the 13th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

Chairman No appeared at the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee's audit in the morning and apologized for the controversies related to the Election Commission. Regarding the possibility of hacking the Election Commission's voting and counting system announced by the National Intelligence Service, he said, "We will prepare the best possible countermeasures for the election management system," and added, "We will strengthen the information security system under the given conditions so that the public does not have to worry."

He continued, "Regarding the allegations of preferential hiring of children of high-ranking executives, audits by the Board of Audit and Inspection and investigations by the prosecution are underway," and said, "However, to strengthen fairness in personnel recruitment, we will reflect the results of the actual condition survey by the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission and prepare and immediately implement improvement measures that can be prioritized."

Chairman No said, "Above all, I deeply accept the criticism that proper audits have not been conducted so far," and promised, "To prevent such cases from happening again, we will open the auditor position to public recruitment to appoint a professional and establish and operate an audit committee composed of multiple external experts."

He added, "Through double and triple checks, audits, and monitoring devices, we will further strengthen the internal self-purification function through an objective external perspective."

Chairman No stated, "The Election Commission is thoroughly preparing to successfully manage the 22nd National Assembly election to be held in April next year," and said, "Under any circumstances, we will perfectly manage the election with a strictly neutral stance and flawless procedures and office management based on laws and principles."

He emphasized, "We will not neglect efforts for organizational innovation as well as election management," and added, "We will strengthen inspections of duties such as personnel and organizational supplementation based on the fundamentals of organizational operation, and thoroughly review whether there are any tasks that have been neglected or unreasonably conducted due to being considered customary, so that we can become a healthy and transparent organization."

When asked by Jo Eun-hee, a member of the People Power Party, "Do you have any intention to take responsibility and resign?" Chairman No replied, "I do not think the Election Commission will be corrected just because I resign," but added, "If there is something I must take responsibility for, I will do so immediately."