NEC special probe to conduct public verification of ballots at Olympic Park on 29th
The special prosecution team led by Lee Tae-han, investigating the ballot shortage crisis during the June 3 local elections, will conduct a public verification of the ballots at the vote-counting station at Jamsil Olympic Park at the end of this month. According to legal sources on the 11th, the team is coordinating with the police, the National Election Commission (NEC), and other relevant agencies, making the 29th the likely date for the verification, though the schedule could change during consultations.
The Olympic Park handball arena, cited as the verification site, served as a vote-counting station during the local elections. Protests over the ballot shortage continued there for an extended period. Demonstrators initially protested at the Jamsil 7-dong second polling station, then moved to the handball arena after the ballot boxes were transferred there.
The verification involves physically checking each of the ballots, which are key evidence in the case. Given the nature of the case, which has sparked public suspicion and attention, the special prosecution team is considering making the process open to the media and the public. Meanwhile, the verification plan was initially reported as a 'recount,' but a recount is a procedure to re-examine ballots due to disputes over election results, which differs in nature from this evidence verification.
The disclosure of the verification plan is linked to a controversy over a leaked document involving President Lee Jae-myung. On the 29th of last month, the president posted a photo on X (formerly Twitter) of a classified document titled 'Daily Comprehensive Situation Report,' in which a phrase believed to read 'NEC special prosecution, ballot recount at the Olympic Park handball arena' was partially exposed at the bottom of the document.
The People Power Party criticized what it saw as an indication that the special prosecution, an independent investigative body, had reported on the status of its investigation to the president. In response, the presidential office explained that the phrase was based on a National Police Agency security situation report stating that concerns about friction with rally participants had been resolved due to the special prosecution's postponement of the ballot verification, and was unrelated to the status of the NEC investigation. The special prosecution team also stated, "We are conducting the investigation independently based solely on the law and principles, and will continue to do so without any political considerations," denying that the reporting allegations were true.
The Lee Tae-han special prosecution team, launched on the 7th of last month, is investigating the ballot shortage, the forced vote counting, manipulation of voting statistics, and preferential treatment of NEC officials, with a mandate of up to 150 days. The team has taken over investigation records from the joint investigation headquarters, raided the NEC on the 17th of last month, and continued its investigation by stationing forensic investigators at the NEC to verify materials.
