Special counsel probing the National Election Commission of the Republic of Korea (NEC) to seek detailed forensic examinations of some 700 challenged ballots by the National Forensic Service (NFS) and others as early as next week

[Financial News] The special counsel team led by Special Counsel Lee Tae-han, which is investigating the shortage of ballots in the June 3 local elections and allegations of mismanagement and forgery involving the NEC, will begin detailed forensic examinations of ballots and equipment challenged during a public review as early as next week.

According to legal sources on the 1st, the special counsel team is conducting its own analysis to determine whether there were irregularities in some 700 ballots challenged by People Power Party observers, who said further examination was needed. The ballots were among around 2.47 million Songpa District ballots publicly reviewed on the 28th and 29th of last month at the Handball Gymnasium in Olympic Park, Songpa District, Seoul.
After conducting its own screening, the team plans to select ballots it considers to require detailed forensic examination and request analysis as early as next week from the National Forensic Service (NFS) or, among others, the Forensic Science Planning Officer at the Prosecution Agency headquarters (formerly the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office of the Republic of Korea).
The main targets for examination are ballots with damaged surfaces or signs of alteration or deterioration after the fact. During the earlier public review, observers also strongly challenged ballots that were stiff with no signs of folding or had faint ballot-marking ink. The detailed examination will cover not only ballots but also the possibility that related equipment collected at the site, including ballot sorters, was hacked.
A special counsel team official said, “For ballots and related equipment that we determine require detailed forensic examination, we will take thorough follow-up measures to ensure not the slightest doubt remains.”

The remaining ballots, which drew no significant objections during the public review, were moved to a separate location rather than an NEC facility.
The special counsel team said it sorted and rewrapped the ballots and is keeping them under strict security at a facility with an access-control system, CCTV and security staff on duty around the clock. Special counsel investigators accompanied the ballots from the time they were removed from the Handball Gymnasium and monitored the entire process of unloading and stacking them. The team has asked the NEC to preserve them in their current condition in case further examination is needed.
Earlier, on the 28th of last month, the special counsel team conducted an open, voluntary inspection at the Handball Gymnasium, which had served as a vote-counting center in Songpa District, deploying about 110 personnel, including Special Counsel Lee Tae-han, as well as police and NFS forensic equipment. The start was delayed by about two hours after observers and political figures protested and argued over the scope of on-site reporting and filming allowed. Over a total of 13 hours, the team secured CCTV footage from the storage area and checked the seals, verified the ballots’ printing condition and quantity, and collected related equipment.
Meanwhile, the special counsel team is closely analyzing indoor CCTV footage obtained in a search of the Handball Gymnasium on the 27th of last month, the day before the public review, and is also checking for signs of outside intrusion. Based on the detailed forensic findings to come, the team plans to continue investigating the broader allegations of infringement on the public’s right to participate in elections, including ballot shortages and forgery.


[email protected] Park Ji-hyun Reporter