Election Commission special counsel team expands to 18 prosecutors, also seeks staffing support from the Serious Crime Investigation Agency

[Financial News] The special counsel team led by Lee Tae-han, which is investigating the ballot shortage during the June 3 local elections, has moved to bolster its investigative staff. After receiving an additional prosecutor on secondment from the Public Prosecution Office, it has also requested investigative staff from the Serious Crime Investigation Agency (SCIA). The team plans to accelerate the investigation, including by holding a public inspection of ballot papers next week.
According to legal circles on the 25th, the National Election Commission special counsel team recently received one more prosecutor on secondment from the Public Prosecution Office. The number of seconded prosecutors who have joined the team has thus risen to 18.
The additional prosecutor is said to have extensive investigative experience in criminal and economic cases. The prosecutor reportedly also has a record of an investigation being selected by the Public Prosecution Office as an exemplary case.
The special counsel team has also requested staff support from the SCIA. On the 23rd, Special Counsel Lee visited the agency, met with its chief, Kim Ji-hoon, and conveyed a request to have around 10 investigative personnel seconded.
Chief Kim reportedly said he would actively consider providing temporary staff support. However, as the SCIA is also experiencing a staff shortage, he is said to have responded that a decision would be made after comprehensively considering staff willing to be seconded and the agency’s internal staffing situation, among other factors.
The expansion of the special counsel team’s staff is seen as a measure to facilitate the analysis of evidence secured through a series of searches and seizures, as well as related investigations. The special counsel law for the National Election Commission stipulates that, when necessary for an investigation, the special counsel may request personnel on secondment from the Public Prosecution Office, the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO), the SCIA and other agencies.
Along with bolstering its investigative staff, the special counsel team is preparing a public inspection of ballot papers. Next week, it plans to conduct the inspection at the counting station in the Handball Gymnasium at Olympic Park in Jamsil, Seoul, examining actual ballot papers one by one.
The inspection is intended to examine allegations including the ballot shortage that came to light during the local elections, and to make the process and results public. Given the intense public interest in the matter, the aim is to ensure that the procedure is transparent.
The 29th was initially considered the most likely date for the inspection, but the team is coordinating a specific schedule with police and other relevant agencies, taking into account that some demonstrators remain in the area around Olympic Park.
[email protected] Lee Dong-hyuk Reporter