Special counsel investigating the NEC to inspect 2.47 million Songpa-gu ballots on the 28th

[Financial News]  The special counsel team investigating allegations related to the National Election Commission, including a shortage of ballot papers, will conduct a voluntary inspection on the 28th of ballots and other items stored at the Handball Gymnasium in Olympic Park, Songpa-gu, Seoul.
The special counsel team said in a press notice on the 26th, “Starting at 9 a.m. on the 28th, we plan to conduct a voluntary inspection of about 2.47 million Songpa-gu ballots stored at the Handball Gymnasium in Olympic Park, as well as items including on-site closed-circuit television (CCTV), with the cooperation of relevant agencies, including the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, the National Election Commission (NEC) and Korea Sports Industry.” A voluntary inspection is a procedure conducted with the consent of the agency holding the items, rather than through the execution of a search-and-seizure warrant.
The inspection will proceed following resolutions by the plenary committees of the NEC and the Songpa-gu Election Commission. The special counsel team explained, “Each election commission has agreed to the special counsel’s voluntary inspection and decided to cooperate with the necessary procedures.”
The special counsel team will check the integrity of the ballots—including whether their number has increased or decreased and whether any are counterfeit—as well as equipment and documents used in voting and counting. First, it will review CCTV footage at the storage site for signs of outside intrusion and conduct an initial check of the ballot count and the marking and printing condition. Any irregular ballots found during this process will be set aside for detailed forensic examination. The team will also investigate the possibility of errors, including whether related equipment such as ballot sorting machines was hacked.
At least 110 people, including the special counsel and five deputy special counsels, prosecutors and others, will be assigned to the inspection, and all available equipment will be mobilized. Personnel and equipment from the National Police Agency and the National Forensic Service will also be provided. The NEC will deploy about 500 people for the initial ballot count. The special counsel team and NEC will together have a workforce of more than 600. The team said, “The NEC will not be involved except to assist in checking the number of ballots; the special counsel will conduct the entire inspection independently.”
Taking into account the public interest in and symbolic significance of Olympic Park, the special counsel team has arranged for an observer group selected by the National Assembly to observe the inspection. About 100 observers, including lawmakers from the ruling and opposition parties, and more than 50 journalists are expected to be present at the site and watch the inspection.
However, this voluntary inspection is not a procedure for changing the election results. The special counsel team said the inspection is not a recount based on election litigation under the Public Official Election Act, and stated, “In principle, it will have no effect whatsoever on the determination of winners or the vote totals in the 9th National Simultaneous Local Elections.” It added, “By thoroughly investigating various allegations, including the shortage of ballot papers, which is among the matters subject to investigation under the special counsel act, we will address public suspicions about the fairness of public elections and the administration of elections.”


[email protected] Kim Dong-kyu Reporter