South Korea Ballot Shortage: Joint Investigation Team Raids Election Commission

(CNA Reporter Yang Qifang, Seoul 11th Special Dispatch) The ballot shortage incident in South Korea's local elections is escalating. The joint police and prosecution investigation team today conducted simultaneous search and seizure operations on the National Election Commission (NEC) and local election commissions. A police official stated that they will comprehensively review the incident's details and causes.

South Korea held local elections on the 3rd, but ballot shortages occurred at polling stations nationwide, with the most severe case in Seoul's Songpa District. This sparked a series of controversies, and protest demonstrations have continued for several days. Protesters gathered at Olympic Park included young people demanding strict punishment for the NEC over alleged election irregularities, as well as far-right supporters claiming election fraud and Chinese interference.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Wide-area Investigation Unit, under the direction of prosecutors from the joint investigation team, began search and seizure operations at 9 a.m. today at seven locations. These include the NEC, the Seoul Metropolitan Election Commission, and the election commissions of Songpa, Seocho, Gangnam, Gwangjin, and Dongjak districts, where ballot shortages occurred. The charges include violations of the Public Official Election Act, dereliction of duty, embezzlement, and breach of trust.

The police deployed over 100 personnel for the operation, including members of the Wide-area Investigation Unit, the National Investigation Headquarters, and digital forensics experts from the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency. The joint investigation team, formed to probe the ballot shortage, also assigned three prosecutors and over 10 investigators to participate.

Suspects named in the search warrants include former NEC Chairman Noh Tae-ak, former Secretary-General Heo Cheol-hoon, and the chairpersons and secretaries-general of various district election commissions, totaling over 10 individuals. The joint investigation team will investigate whether they violated the Public Official Election Act's provisions prohibiting public officials from interfering in elections and obstructing electoral freedom.

The joint investigation team plans to use this search to determine whether election commission officials deliberately exerted undue influence on the election and whether they misappropriated funds allocated for printing ballots. A police official stated, "We will comprehensively review the overall process, including the cause of the ballot shortage and the election commission's response." (Editor: Zhou Yongjie) 1150611