The joint investigation team probing the ballot shortage during the June 3 local elections has launched a forced investigation into officials from the Seoul and Songpa election commissions. The team is focusing on how the ballot shortage was reported on election day and what directives and responses occurred within the commission.
According to legal sources on June 24, the joint investigation team, led by Prosecutor Kim Tae-hoon of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, conducted searches at the homes of three officials from the Seoul Election Commission and nine from the Songpa Election Commission.
The team stated, "We conducted the search to meticulously reconstruct the circumstances surrounding the ballot shortage on election day." This search comes 13 days after an initial round of forced investigations targeting seven locations, including the National Election Commission and the Seoul Election Commission, on June 11.
All 12 individuals targeted in the search are considered witnesses. The team plans to secure their mobile phones for digital forensic analysis. They aim to determine when the ballot shortage was first recognized and what communications occurred between the Seoul and Songpa election commissions based on call logs, text messages, and messenger conversations.
A team official noted, "It is essential to review the contents of social media chat rooms involving not only polling station personnel but also practical staff from the election commission," adding that it is particularly important to investigate how officials from the Songpa Election Commission responded to the ballot shortage.
Songpa was one of the key areas where the ballot shortage issue arose on election day. It is reported that the Songpa Election Commission notified the Seoul Election Commission of the ballot shortage at the second polling station in Jamsil 7-dong around 11:40 a.m. However, additional ballots did not arrive at that polling station until around 6 p.m.
The joint investigation team is examining whether the Seoul Election Commission failed to promptly report signs of ballot shortages from Songpa and why follow-up actions, such as supplying additional ballots, were delayed. They are also considering potential charges of dereliction of duty and obstruction of official duties based on the analysis of seized materials and witness statements.
On June 11, the team conducted searches at the National Election Commission and the Seoul Election Commission, securing voter registries, internal approval documents, and electronic data. They have since been questioning polling officials and local government employees who worked at polling stations where ballot shortages occurred.
On June 15, they interrogated nine polling officials from three polling stations affected by the ballot shortage, followed by two officials from the Songpa Election Commission on June 16. On June 19, they questioned two officials from a polling station in Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam, and on June 22, eight local government employees from polling stations in Seoul.
The team also received and is analyzing materials from the 'Ballot Shortage Investigation Committee' established by the National Election Commission. The committee reported that out of 14,288 polling stations nationwide, only 140 received additional ballots due to anticipated shortages, while 91 polling stations actually used the additional ballots, and 26 polling stations experienced interruptions in voting.
Earlier, Jo Hyun-wook, chair of the National Election Commission's investigation committee, stated during the announcement of the findings, "We confirmed deficiencies in the reporting system and a systemic failure in election management," recommending an investigation into 12 individuals, including former National Election Commission Chairman Noh Tae-ak.
The joint investigation team plans to summon officials from the Seoul and Songpa election commissions for questioning as soon as they complete the analysis of the seized materials and the review of the commission's internal investigation data. Following this, investigations into high-ranking officials at the National Election Commission, including former Chairman Noh and former Secretary General Heo Cheol-hoon, are expected to intensify.
Additionally, the team is looking into allegations of the disposal and loss of ballot storage boxes that surfaced after election day. There are also discussions about expanding the investigation to include internal operations of the election commission, such as preferential hiring scandals and questionable business trips.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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