The Joint Investigation Team probing allegations of voter count manipulation during the June 3 local elections has expanded its search to nine election offices, including the National Election Commission and those in Seoul, Gyeonggi, and Chungbuk provinces. Following earlier investigations in Gimpo, Uiwang, and Jincheon, indications of irregularities in voter counts have also emerged in Seoul's Gangnam and Seocho districts, raising the possibility of a nationwide inquiry.
Led by Kim Tae-hoon, Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, the Joint Investigation Team conducted searches on August 7 at the National Election Commission and local election offices in Gimpo, Uiwang, Jincheon, Gangnam, and Seocho.
The search warrants reportedly cite charges of falsifying public electronic records and obstructing official duties. It is understood that one official from the National Election Commission, who sent guidelines regarding vote management to local election offices on election day, has also been implicated.
The investigation suggests that election officials may have adjusted voter counts without formally reporting or obtaining approval from superiors. So far, confirmed instances of data manipulation have been identified in five locations: Gimpo, Uiwang, Jincheon, Gangnam, and Seocho.
The inquiry intensified after discrepancies in voter counts were discovered in Gyeonggi Province. In one polling station, the number of voters was incorrectly recorded in the thousands instead of the hundreds, leading to adjustments in the reported figures across other polling stations.
Typically, any errors in voter counts or turnout rates must be reported to the National Election Commission for approval before corrections can be made. However, the Joint Investigation Team believes some officials bypassed this process, adjusting subsequent voter counts to reconcile the final figures.
The team is also examining whether directives from the National Election Commission influenced these actions. Reports indicate that at around 8:30 a.m. on election day, the Election Management Division sent an email to local officials stating that corrections should not be made after that time. The email also suggested that if there were no significant errors in previous reports, adjustments could be made in subsequent reports.
At approximately 2:30 p.m., another message was sent indicating that if discrepancies were discovered late, it would be difficult to make corrections due to the growing differences.
The Joint Investigation Team is investigating whether these directives contradict the 'Comprehensive Management Guidelines for the 9th Nationwide Simultaneous Local Elections' established prior to the elections. They are also looking into whether the National Election Commission went beyond merely advising on error correction to actively participating in specific data adjustments. Records indicate that when inquiries about voter count discrepancies arose in Gimpo, the National Election Commission provided an Excel file detailing specific adjustment methods.
Previously, the Joint Investigation Team secured messenger conversations among election officials discussing how to adjust voter counts without reporting discrepancies to superiors while investigating a shortage of ballots. This led to the initial searches of the National Election Commission on July 23, focusing on allegations of false data entry in voter statistics.
Following the analysis of seized materials and interviews with related parties, similar irregularities were confirmed in Gangnam and Seocho. The team has also summoned individuals involved for questioning on July 30-31 and August 5.
The scope of the investigation may broaden further. According to data on 'Voter Counts by Time for the 9th Local Elections,' among 14,288 polling stations nationwide, 51 showed no change in cumulative voter counts for over three hours. Similar patterns have been observed in various regions, including 10 locations in Gyeonggi and eight in Jeonnam.
The Joint Investigation Team plans to analyze materials obtained from the additional searches to clarify the origins of the National Election Commission's directives and how local election offices processed voter counts. They aim to determine whether the false entries were the result of individual actions or widespread practices influenced by the National Election Commission's guidelines.
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.