Special counsel investigating the NEC expresses condolences over suspect’s death ... “NEC’s position differs from the facts”

[Financial News] The special prosecutor team investigating allegations of misconduct at the National Election Commission (NEC) (Special Prosecutor Lee Tae-han) expressed condolences for an NEC official who died after being questioned as a suspect.
However, the team expressed regret over the NEC’s statement suggesting that the deceased had experienced psychological distress due to the ongoing investigation and had been questioned late into the night, saying it “does not accord with the facts.”
In a notice to the media on the 21st, the special prosecutor team said, “We sincerely pray for the repose of the deceased NEC official and offer our deepest condolences to the bereaved family.”
However, the team disputed the facts in the NEC’s statement issued that day, which said the deceased had suffered “extreme psychological distress due to the ongoing investigation” and had undergone “suspect questioning until late at night on October 20.”
According to the special prosecutor team, the deceased was questioned once for the first time the previous day during the investigation by the joint prosecution-police investigation headquarters and the special counsel investigating the NEC. A lawyer was present from the start of questioning until the deceased left for home, and questioning ended at around 8:55 p.m. because the deceased did not want to be questioned at night, the team said.
The special prosecutor team said the deceased arrived at around 10 a.m. and was questioned until 8:55 p.m., taking five breaks totaling 3 hours and 20 minutes, including time for lunch and dinner. It said the actual questioning lasted 7 hours and 35 minutes.
After questioning ended, the deceased reviewed the record from 9:15 p.m. to 11 p.m. for 1 hour and 45 minutes, personally making handwritten corrections to around 40 portions of the answers, the team said. The team stressed that “there was no late-night questioning, and there was absolutely no coercive atmosphere during the entire questioning process,” adding that “no objections were raised to the questioning or the contents of the record.”
The special prosecutor team said, “We regret the NEC’s announcement of a position that differs from the facts,” adding, “We will continue the investigation while complying with laws protecting human rights, and will uncover various allegations and irregularities involving the NEC and clearly establish where responsibility lies.”
Earlier that day, at around 7 a.m., A, a man in his 40s affiliated with the NEC, was found dead in the landscaped grounds of an apartment complex in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province. Police believe he fell from the apartment building where he lived. A had been questioned by the special counsel the previous day, and the note found at the scene reportedly contained an appeal expressing the sense of injustice he felt during the investigation.
 
[email protected] Choi Eun-sol Reporter