South Korea’s state institutions and political parties moved Monday to address ballot paper shortages reported during last week’s local elections.The ruling Democratic Party of Korea submitted its request for a parliamentary probe to the National Assembly.Rep. Cheon Jun-ho, the party’s senior deputy floor leader, said the NEC had been aware of the shortage in advance but failed to respond in a timely manner, causing confusion at polling stations and fueling unnecessary suspicion over the fairness of the election.“The fatal management failure led to unnecessary suspicions over the fairness of the election and deepened conflict surrounding the incident,” Cheon told reporters. Rep. Cheon Jun-ho (left), senior deputy floor leader of the ruling Democratic Party, and Rep. Jang Dong-hyeok, chair of the main opposition People Power Party. (Yonhap) The party said the investigation should look into the cause of the shortage, structural problems within the NEC and its regional branches, and broader reforms to protect voting rights and restore public trust in the electoral process.The main opposition People Power Party also submitted its own request for a parliamentary probe. Separately, the party is also pushing for a special counsel investigation and, in some affected areas, a revote.People Power Party Chair Jang Dong-hyeok said that “a special counsel should come before a parliamentary probe, and a revote should come before a special counsel,” arguing that the public demand was for a new election in places where the shortage occurred.He argued the incident could have affected close races, including those for local councils and proportional representation seats.The Democratic Party, however, drew a line against calls for politicians to declare a revote.Police also began their formal investigation Monday.The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s investigation unit questioned a civic group official who had filed a complaint against NEC officials, including Noh, on allegations including dereliction of duty stemming from the ballot shortage incident.Police said they were considering questioning election workers and other officials involved in the process.