The joint investigation team examining the ballot shortage that occurred during the June 3 local elections is accelerating its efforts to reconstruct the events of voting day through witness interrogations and analysis of seized materials.
According to Yonhap News, the team summoned the election supervisor responsible for the polling station in Gaepo 2-dong, Gangnam District, for questioning on the afternoon of June 20.
The investigation team has reportedly gathered statements indicating that the response from the Election Commission during the election was not smooth.
The team plans to focus on analyzing the seized materials over the weekend. They are using the ballot logs obtained during a search of the Central Election Management Commission on June 11 to identify when ballots ran short at key polling stations and the channels through which additional printing requests were made.
Additionally, they intend to analyze the Election Commission's server to verify the internal decision-making process from the time the decision was made to reduce the number of ballots printed until election day.
Once the analysis of the seized materials and the questioning of dispatched officials are completed, the team is expected to intensify its investigations into Election Commission employees.
Currently, the investigation is focusing on four main areas: the inadequate response on election day, the decision-making process regarding the reduction of ballot printing, suspicions surrounding the management of the Election Commission's budget, and allegations of the disposal of ballot storage boxes.
The team is first examining the overall response to the ballot shortage on election day. They began questioning officials who worked at the second polling station in Jamsil 7-dong, Songpa District, on June 16, followed by officials from the Jamsil, Banpo, and Noryangjin polling stations on June 18, and officials from the Cheongdam-dong polling station in Gangnam District the day before.
The decision-making process that led to the reduction of printed ballots, identified as a cause of the shortage, is also a key focus of the investigation.
The Election Commission adjusted its ballot printing criteria from "at least 60% of the number of registered voters" to "at least 50%" based on a report from the Korea Administrative Research Institute in 2022. This change was reflected in the comprehensive management guidelines for the 9th nationwide local elections, which were implemented by the Secretary-General's decision in December of last year.
The joint investigation team is verifying the scope of the Secretary-General's decision-making authority and the usual procedures for handling such matters, while also examining whether the drafting and implementation of the guidelines were conducted appropriately. It is reported that they will also investigate the involvement of former Election Commission Chairman Noh Tae-ak and former Secretary-General Heo Cheol-hoon.
The investigation also includes allegations regarding the disposal of ballot storage boxes, which were reportedly discarded by the Songpa District Election Commission before a court order for evidence preservation was issued for the second polling station in Jamsil 7-dong. While the Election Commission stated that there was no legal obligation to retain the boxes themselves, some have raised concerns about the potential for evidence destruction.
Additionally, there are indications that the investigation may expand to include the overseas trips of former Chairman Noh Tae-ak accompanied by his spouse and allegations of unnecessary trips by Election Commission staff, raising questions about overall budget management.
The joint investigation team is reportedly considering adding one or two more prosecutors to manage the expanded scope of the investigation and the increased workload.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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