▲ Special Prosecutor Lee Tae-han, who is leading the investigation into the shortage of ballots during the June 3 local elections, arrives at the temporary special prosecutor's office in Seocho-gu, Seoul, to answer questions from reporters on the 24th.
Special Prosecutor Lee Tae-han, tasked with investigating the shortage of ballots during the June 3 local elections, has selected 10 candidates for assistant special prosecutors and requested President Lee Jae-myung to appoint them.
Special Prosecutor Lee announced through a press notice today (the 28th) that "at 4:30 p.m. today, we selected 10 assistant special prosecutor candidates and requested the President to appoint them as assistant special prosecutors."
Assistant special prosecutors direct and supervise investigations and maintain indictments under the command and supervision of the special prosecutor, oversee special investigators and dispatched public officials, handle public relations, and receive treatment equivalent to that of a prosecutor general.
Under the Special Prosecutor Act, the President must appoint five assistant special prosecutors within five days from the date of the request for their appointment.
If the President fails to appoint assistant special prosecutors within the timeframe, the oldest among the recommended candidates is deemed to have been appointed.
Special Prosecutor Lee reviewed disqualifying factors after selecting a pool of 10 candidates, which included receiving six recommendations for assistant special prosecutor candidates from the Korean Bar Association on the 25th.
Previously, Special Prosecutor Lee stated that the selection criteria for assistant special prosecutors would place top priority on forensic and investigative capabilities, while comprehensively considering political neutrality, objectivity, character, and social reputation as secondary factors.
Once the five assistant special prosecutors are finalized, preparations for the launch of the special prosecutor's team are expected to get into full swing.
Special Prosecutor Lee previously sent cooperation official letters to the Ministry of Justice and the Korean National Police Agency to complete the deployment of about 60 investigative personnel, including 20 prosecutors, as well as prosecution investigators and police officers, by September 4.
Currently, a total of 14 personnel have joined the special prosecutor's team, including three dispatched prosecutors, five special investigators, and six dispatched police officers.
The special prosecutor's team also requested the joint investigation headquarters of prosecutors and police investigating the violation of the right to vote to transfer all case records and seized evidence currently under investigation to the special prosecutor's office today.
The special prosecutor's team plans to first receive and review digitalized case records on the 31st, establish future investigation plans, and embark on a full-scale investigation simultaneously with the commencement of operations on September 7.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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