Seoul: A special counsel team on Thursday conducted a raid on the national election watchdog and various local election commissions as part of its ongoing investigation into ballot shortages during the June 3 local elections.
According to Yonhap News Agency, this operation marked the first raid by special counsel Lee Tae-han's team since its inception on September 7. The investigation was launched in response to significant public discontent after numerous voters were unable to cast their votes due to the shortage of ballots.
The team dispatched investigators to nine different locations, including the National Election Commission (NEC) headquarters in Gwacheon, located just south of Seoul, as well as local election commissions in Gyeonggi Province, Incheon, Busan, and Daegu. The primary objective of the raid was to seize internal records related to the ballot shortages.
The ballot shortages during the elections led to voting disruptions at several polling stations across Gyeonggi, the capital's surrounding province, and extended to other key cities such as Incheon, Busan, and Daegu. Lee's team has been tasked with scrutinizing the election watchdog's management of ballot papers and investigating any suspected tampering with voter turnout data during the local elections, along with other misconduct allegations.
The special counsel team plans to examine the confiscated records thoroughly before making any decisions on summoning key officials who were responsible for overseeing the elections, including former NEC Chairperson Rho Tae-ak, who resigned amid the controversy surrounding the ballot shortages.
Source: Yonhap News Agency