Only 2 Disciplinary Actions Out of 8,000 Violations: The Reality of the NEC's 'Slap on the Wrist'

It has been found that while an average of over 1,000 issues are identified annually during internal audits by the National Election Commission (NEC), more than 90% of these cases were concluded with only on-site corrective measures.

Since 2020, there have been nearly 8,000 identified issues, yet only two cases have actually resulted in disciplinary action.

According to data submitted by the NEC to the office of Representative Seo Beom-soo of the People Power Party, the total number of issues identified through the NEC's comprehensive internal audits from 2020 to 2025 reached 7,729.

Of these, 7,141 cases were handled through on-site corrections, accounting for approximately 92.3% of all identified issues.

Disciplinary actions were limited to just two cases, one in 2023 and one in 2024.

Among the identified issues, those directly related to election management—such as improper management of voting and ballot counting, improper management of mail-in ballots (geoso voting), and negligence in reviewing and verifying early voting turnout or preparing and reviewing management records—totaled 1,230 cases.

Despite being related to core duties, approximately 97% of these cases were also concluded with on-site corrections.

On-site correction is the lowest level of disciplinary action, where errors are rectified on the spot without further accountability.

Most of the issues identified regarding the management of ballot papers, which became a problem during the June 3 local elections, were also limited to on-site corrections.

During the 2024 general election and the presidential election last year, there were instances in Jongno-gu, Seoul, such as the omission of records regarding the disposal of ballot papers with serial numbers, but these were also concluded with on-site corrections.

In the same elections, Nam-gu, Daegu, failed to record 59 instances of changes in election observers in the voting log, and the early voting administrator's signature and seal were missing, but these were also handled through on-site corrective measures.

It was revealed that issues such as the improper preparation of ballot papers and the improper preparation and review of management records have been identified every single year for the past six years.

In the 2023 audit, it was noted that "while the results of the comprehensive audit are notified to committees at each level every year, some issues continue to occur repeatedly during the election process."

Reported by Jung Da-eun | Video by Lee Da-in | Graphics by Yang Hye-min | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.