The National Election Commission (NEC) announced that it held an opening ceremony for the Comprehensive Election Situation Room for the 9th Nationwide Simultaneous Local Elections at the NEC headquarters in Gwacheon on February 27 and has entered into a full election management mode.

The ceremony was attended by NEC Chairperson Rho Tae-ak, Standing Commissioner We Chul-hwan, other NEC commissioners, and Secretary General Heo Cheol-hoon. The event included a “Flower of Democracy” performance and a demonstration of election equipment.

During the equipment demonstration, the Chairperson and the Standing Commissioner, among others, participated in demonstrating the process from the issuance of early voting ballot papers by early voting equipment to the insertion of the ballots into the early voting ballot box, as well as the ballot sorting process of the ballot sorting machine and the ballot tabulation process of the ballot review and counting machine.

The Comprehensive Election Situation Room has been established and in operation since February 23 in order to comprehensively manage and coordinate election management conditions and procedural affairs. It is organized into three teams, nine units, and 32 personnel, and carries out the following functions:

1) Overall coordination and support for procedural affairs;

2) Operation of the integrated CCTV monitoring center for storage locations such as early voting ballot boxes;

3) Rapid response to and handling of incidents and accidents; and 

5) Management and operation of election equipment and supplies, as well as operation of a help desk.

In his remarks at the ceremony, NEC Chairperson Rho Tae-ak stated, “Today’s opening ceremony is an opportunity to demonstrate to the public our Commission’s commitment to managing the local elections fairly and transparently with strict neutrality. Let us do our utmost and prepare thoroughly to ensure the successful management of the elections.”