Seoul: National Assembly Speaker Cho Jeong-sik on Tuesday pledged a swift parliamentary response to an unprecedented shortage of ballot papers that disrupted voting in parts of Seoul during last week's local elections.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Rep. Cho made the remarks in his meeting with presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik at the National Assembly, saying he takes the issue seriously, as reported by Jang Hyeon-ju, senior secretary of parliament for public communication. "We regard the incident involving the National Election Commission as a grave issue, and the National Assembly will thoroughly and promptly carry out all possible measures," the assembly speaker was quoted as saying.

Kang echoed Cho's stance, describing the incident as an issue in which "citizens' voting rights -- the very foundation of democracy -- were infringed upon." He called on the National Assembly to play an active role in addressing the issue, urging bipartisan cooperation in launching a parliamentary probe into the incident.

On Monday, the ruling Democratic Party and the main opposition People Power Party each submitted separate requests for a parliamentary investigation amid a growing controversy over the ballot shortages that were reported at more than a dozen polling stations in Seoul during the local elections. The election watchdog has said 26 polling stations nationwide experienced temporary suspensions of voting due to such shortages during the elections Wednesday.