Rep. Lee Jun-seok, chair of the minor conservative Reform Party. (Yonhap) Rep. Lee Jun-seok, chair of the minor conservative Reform Party, on Friday called for a parliamentary investigation into ballot shortages reported during Wednesday's local elections.Lee urged both the ruling Democratic Party of Korea and the main opposition People Power Party to take a clear position on the issue, including the possibility of holding reelections.In a Facebook post, Lee said the ruling party should immediately accept a National Assembly probe, while the People Power Party should not hesitate to consider demanding reelections if necessary."If the incident was intentional, those responsible must be held accountable. If it was the result of a systemic failure, even the future of the National Election Commission should be examined," Lee wrote.The Democratic Party won 12 of the 16 mayoral and gubernatorial races in Wednesday's elections, while the People Power Party secured four, including the Seoul mayoralty. The Reform Party, meanwhile, fielded candidates in seven races but won only one local council seat in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province.Lee also distinguished the ballot shortage controversy from election fraud claims that have circulated among some far-right conservatives in South Korea. He has previously rejected such allegations, arguing that claims of widespread election manipulation lacked evidence and logical consistency."This is a different issue. The NEC, which is solely responsible for administering elections, failed to properly predict and manage the number of ballots needed," Lee said. "How can the public accept that?"Lee also warned that if the ruling party delays a parliamentary investigation, calls for an independent special counsel probe could intensify. Unlike a parliamentary investigation, which is a fact-finding inquiry conducted by lawmakers, a special counsel probe involves an independent prosecutor with the authority to conduct a criminal investigation."The ruling party has created distrust toward investigative agencies under the Lee Jae Myung administration," he said. "If it drags its feet on a parliamentary investigation, demands for a special counsel investigation could explode."He added that opposition parties should push for a special counsel investigation if the ruling party does not agree to a parliamentary probe.The remarks came after ballot shortages were reported at several polling stations in Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province during Wednesday's local elections, causing voting to be temporarily suspended or delayed.The NEC has apologized for the disruption and public concern caused by the incident, saying it takes full responsibility for failures in election administration.The commission, however, maintained that the ballot shortages do not constitute grounds for postponing the election or holding reelections under the Public Official Election Act.