Recently, at the National Assembly's special committee on government affairs, there was a fierce battle over responsibility for the shortage of ballot papers that occurred during the June 3 local elections. Former National Election Commission Chairman Noh Tae-ak attended the National Assembly and bowed his head for his neglect of management and evasion of responsibility as chairman, and former Secretary-General Heo Cheol-hoon also expressed his deep apology to the people. The origin of this incident was a change in the management guidelines that lowered the lower limit on the number of ballots printed from 60% of the number of voters to 50%. However, as this process was handled by the Secretary-General, it was revealed that it was not properly reported to the Chairman, revealing the true nature of the reporting system and lack of communication within the National Election Commission. Lawmakers who launched a government investigation focused on how the National Election Commission's delayed response and lax election management violated the people's precious right to vote. This is a case that goes beyond simple administrative mistakes and clearly demonstrates how lax discipline and systemic flaws in the National Election Commission, a constitutional institution, can significantly damage public trust.

Meanwhile, the conflict between the ruling and opposition parties over the composition of the National Assembly is approaching a cliff without any room for compromise. The Democratic Party of Korea declared its 100% will to protect the position of Chairman of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, defining it as a natural position rather than an object of negotiation. The Democratic Party leadership, including Representative Chung Cheong-rae, is maintaining a strong stance, citing the stability of state administration as the justification, and willing to hold a vote if an agreement is not reached. On the other hand, the People Power Party is citing each of the past cases of arbitrary operation by the Democratic Party's Judiciary Committee chairs, and is strongly opposing the Democratic Party's monopoly of the Judiciary Committee, saying it will paralyze the normal functioning of the National Assembly. People Power Party floor leader Jeong Jeong-sik is stepping up his offensive, saying that a ‘working National Assembly’ will only be possible if the Legislative and Judiciary Committee is returned to the ruling party. As the ruling and opposition parties are neglecting the people's livelihood and are immersed in the battle for vested interests over the allocation of standing committees, the productive legislative activities of the National Assembly that the people expect are at a standstill.

In contrast to the collapse within the National Assembly, the security situation outside the Korean Peninsula is entering a more precarious phase. North Korea's State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un reaffirmed the ambitious goal of raising nuclear weapons to the world's highest level through the Workers' Party plenary meeting. In particular, recognizing South Korea as 'two hostile countries' and ordering the fortification of the border area and the construction of a new naval base is essentially a declaration of abandonment of the peaceful restoration of inter-Korean relations. Internally, he is maximizing control over the party and military by appointing Cho Yong-won as organizational secretary, which is interpreted as a typical ruling strategy to strengthen system unity in the name of external threats. Our military authorities defined North Korea's installation of obstacles along the Military Demarcation Line as a violation of the Armistice Agreement and predicted a strong response, but North Korea's blatant nuclear threat and confrontational stance are expected to be a decisive factor in increasing tensions on the Korean Peninsula for the time being.

Even in this chaotic political situation, efforts to protect the rule of law and the values ​​of human rights continue. Recently, the police decided not to forward National Human Rights Commission Chairman Ahn Chang-ho and other human rights commissioners, who were controversial for securing the right to defend former President Yoon Seok-yeol's impeachment trial, after finding that they were not suspected of propaganda or instigation of civil war. The police determined that the Human Rights Commission's recommendation was merely an expression of opinion without legal binding force and did not constitute a crime of rebellion or abuse of power. However, the conflict within the Human Rights Commission surrounding this decision is deepening. Internal turmoil surrounding the independence and neutrality of human rights organizations is still ongoing, with several executives demanding Chairman Ahn's resignation and resigning their positions. Although the actions of state agencies are legally innocent, the social division and distrust within the organization that arose in the process remain another task that our society must solve in the future.