A special prosecutor has begun investigating various allegations against the Election Commission, including a shortage of ballots during the June 3 local elections.
On August 18, President Lee Jae-myung appointed Lee Tae-han, a former chief prosecutor of the Southern District Prosecutors' Office, as the special prosecutor from a list of two candidates recommended by the National Recommendation Committee. The committee had previously recommended Lee and Lee Hyuk, a former prosecutor at the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office, on August 14.
As a result, Special Prosecutor Lee Tae-han will investigate the allegations specified in the Special Prosecutor Act for a maximum of 170 days, including the preparation period.
Starting today, the special prosecutor will secure necessary facilities within 20 days and request the appointment of special prosecutor assistants to prepare for the investigation. Even during the preparation period, if swift evidence collection is needed, related investigations can proceed, and the prosecutor can file charges and maintain cases received.
The special prosecutor will select 10 candidates for special prosecutor assistants during the preparation period and request their appointment from President Lee, who will appoint five of them within five days. The special prosecutor can request dispatches from the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials, and the National Police Agency, allowing for a team of up to 20 dispatched prosecutors and 70 special investigators.
The investigation must be completed within 90 days from the day after the preparation period ends, and a decision on whether to file charges must be made. If the investigation cannot be completed within this timeframe, the president's approval is required to extend the investigation period by 30 days on two occasions.
The special prosecutor's investigation will focus on 12 allegations, including: allegations of infringement on voting rights due to ballot shortages, manipulation of election statistics such as voter turnout, mismanagement of essential election materials like ballot storage boxes, and corruption related to overseas trips and preferential contracts involving current and former members and staff of the Election Commission.
The joint investigation team, which was launched in June under the leadership of Kim Tae-hoon, deputy chief prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, has already conducted significant investigations, including interrogations and compulsory investigations related to some of these allegations, allowing the special prosecutor to take over and proceed with the investigation in earnest.
Lee Tae-han, who passed the 33rd Judicial Examination in 1991, has served as the head of the Busan District Prosecutors' Office's trial division, the head of the Ulsan District Prosecutors' Office's special investigation division, and the chief prosecutor of the Southern District Prosecutors' Office. He has also worked as a lawyer at Dongin Law Group and as a non-standing member of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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