The Special Prosecutor's team, led by Lee Tae-han, will verify the number of ballots and CCTV footage at the Handball Stadium in Olympic Park, located in Songpa District, Seoul.
On October 26, the Special Prosecutor's office announced that starting at 9 a.m. on October 28, they will conduct a voluntary verification of approximately 2.47 million ballots stored at the Handball Stadium, along with the relevant CCTV footage, with the cooperation of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, the National Election Commission, and the Korea Sports Industry.
This verification was decided upon by a unanimous vote from the Central Election Commission and the Songpa District Election Commission, both of which agreed to cooperate with the Special Prosecutor's voluntary verification process.
The Special Prosecutor plans to check the integrity of the ballots, including any discrepancies or forgeries, as well as the equipment used for voting and various related documents.
Initially, they will review the CCTV footage of the storage area to check for signs of external intrusion, followed by a preliminary verification of the ballot quantity and marking and printing conditions. Any irregular ballots found will be classified separately for further detailed examination. They will also investigate the possibility of errors, including potential hacking of ballot sorting machines and other related equipment.
To facilitate the verification, the Special Prosecutor has mobilized all available personnel and equipment, including Lee Tae-han and five deputy prosecutors, along with over 110 staff members, with additional support from the police and the National Forensic Service.
The National Election Commission will also deploy about 500 personnel for the initial verification of ballot quantities. However, the Commission will only assist in confirming the number of ballots and will not be involved in the overall verification process, which will be conducted independently by the Special Prosecutor.
Given the public interest and significance of Olympic Park, around 100 observers selected by the National Assembly, including lawmakers from both parties, and over 50 journalists will be present to monitor the verification process.
A spokesperson for the Special Prosecutor stated, "We will thoroughly investigate various allegations, including the shortage of ballots, which are subject to the Special Prosecutor Act, to resolve public concerns regarding the fairness of the election and election management."
They added, "This voluntary verification is part of the Special Prosecutor's investigative activities and is not a recount based on election litigation under the Public Official Election Act, so it will not affect the determination of winners or vote counts in the 9th simultaneous local elections."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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