National Election Commission Special Prosecutor Lee Tae-han Visits Serious Crime Investigation Agency to Request Dispatch of 10 Investigators

Special Prosecutor Lee Tae-han, who is leading the investigation into the shortage of ballots during the June 3 local elections, has visited the Serious Crime Investigation Agency (SCIA) to request the dispatch of investigative personnel.

Special Prosecutor Lee stated that he visited the SCIA headquarters today (the 23rd) in the afternoon and held a meeting with SCIA Chief Kim Ji-yong lasting about 30 minutes, during which he requested the dispatch of around 10 personnel.

He explained that the special counsel team needs temporary investigative support for major searches and seizures, as well as personnel who can be deployed on a regular basis for digital forensic work on evidence.

Chief Kim reportedly responded, "We will actively review providing temporary investigative support," while adding, "Given that the SCIA also faces personnel shortages, we will assess whether there are volunteers and let you know after considering the overall situation."

Before meeting Chief Kim around 2:50 p.m. today, Special Prosecutor Lee met with reporters to explain the purpose of his visit, stating that the special counsel team currently faces a severe shortage of investigative staff and wanted to seek assistance from the SCIA.

He further noted, "The scope of the special counsel's investigation is quite broad," explaining that "significant time is being spent on preliminary investigations, such as continuing forensic analysis on the National Election Commission's election management system servers for over a month."

Special Prosecutor Lee added, "We are well aware of the issue regarding the SCIA's shortage of investigative personnel," but emphasized that the special counsel team has a limited investigation period and needs to uncover the truth regarding various allegations surrounding the Election Commission.

"There is a significant shortage of personnel for forensics, particularly database analysis, so we have requested a special dispatch of personnel in that field," he said. "We plan to continuously request investigative support from the SCIA's outstanding forensic personnel during upcoming major searches and seizures."

Immediately after entering the SCIA building, Special Prosecutor Lee also addressed the Election Commission employee who recently made an extreme choice while undergoing investigation by the special counsel team, saying, "I pray for the repose of the deceased who passed away during the course of the investigation."

When asked if there were suspicions of coercive investigation, he refrained from elaborating, stating, "We stated the special counsel's position in detail through a press notice this morning."

Earlier this morning, the special counsel team distributed a statement denying any coercive questioning of the deceased suspect, noting, "The suicide note actually contained statements showing no resentment toward the Election Commission special prosecutor and pointing out problems within the Election Commission organization."

On the morning of the 21st, an employee in their 40s affiliated with the National Election Commission was found dead at an apartment.

The deceased had appeared before the special counsel team as a suspect the day before their death and was questioned in the presence of legal counsel.

Attorney Park Hyun-jung of Dodam Law Firm, who attended the questioning, claimed that the deceased had faced pressure and coercion during the special counsel's investigation, and also asserted that there were deficiencies in the process of drawing up the suspect interrogation protocol.

Refuting criticisms that the investigation lacks achievements such as securing custody of suspects, Special Prosecutor Lee retorted, "The focus of the special counsel's investigation is to uncover the truth behind issues such as ballot shortages and manipulation of voter turnout during the election process," adding, "We avoid investigations aimed at hitting a quota for detained individuals."

The special counsel team is currently investigating 12 allegations, including the local election ballot shortage, manipulation of voting statistics, overseas junket trips by Election Commission officials, irregularities in hiring and promotion, and preferential treatment in private contracts and collusion with contractors.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.