Criticized for 'Using It Like Pocket Money': A Look at the 30.5 Billion Won Reallocated by the National Election Commission

The National Election Commission's (NEC) poor election management, triggered by the ballot paper shortage during the June 3 local elections, has been dominating the headlines daily. Public anger over the "infringement of suffrage" is boiling over, and the agency's historically lax work practices are facing sharp scrutiny. Analysis is gaining traction that the current crisis is a direct result of a lack of monitoring, control, and checks, which was enabled by the NEC's firmly established status as a constitutionally independent body.

[Yoon Sang-hyun / Chairman of the Special Parliamentary Committee on the Ballot Paper Shortage Incident: "The independence of the National Election Commission guaranteed by the Constitution is meant for it to be accountable to the public, not to grant it immunity after violating their right to vote."]

Currently, a parliamentary investigation is underway in the National Assembly, and the ruling and opposition parties are continuing discussions on introducing a special prosecutor to identify and punish those responsible. Regarding the scrutiny of the NEC, SBS has consistently provided exclusive, vivid reports on the reality of the situation. This includes allegations of former NEC Chairperson Noh Tae-ak and his wife taking junket-style business trips together, as well as structural issues, such as the fact that 70% of the additional ballot papers sent out on the day of the main vote were unnumbered, causing difficulties in emergency response on election day due to the need to write serial numbers on them. Furthermore, the SBS reporting team has now uncovered issues with the NEC's budget management. Every year around August, the NEC formulates its budget for the following year, which is then allocated after undergoing review by the National Assembly. Naturally, taxpayer-funded budgets must be spent according to their designated purposes, but the reality of budget reallocations and diversions for various reasons has now been exposed.

SBS obtained the "Status of Budget Reallocations and Diversions over the Past Three Years" from the National Election Commission through the office of Representative Kim Ki-hyun of the People Power Party. Looking at the breakdown by year, there were 4 cases totaling about 3.67 billion won in 2023, 154 cases totaling about 24.1 billion won in 2024, and 97 cases totaling about 2.63 billion won in 2025. In total, this amounts to approximately 30.5 billion won across 255 cases. Looking at the figures, the scale and frequency of budget reallocations were far greater in 2024. In April of that year, the general election—the largest nationwide election—took place. While budgets can be reallocated for purposes other than their original intent if urgently needed, our reporting team raised concerns because the frequency and scale were too large to be considered exceptional circumstances. Upon further investigation, it was revealed that the vast majority of these budget reallocations and diversions were due to "labor costs."

Over the past three years, the NEC reallocated budgets to cover labor costs in 212 cases, accounting for 83% of the total, amounting to 7.3 billion won. Specifically, budgets allocated for essential election preparation tasks—such as "Election Management and Equipment Management," "Commissioned Election Management," "Election Broadcast Debates," "Political Party Affairs Support," "Election Information and Records Management," "International Exchange Projects," and the ODA project "Overseas Dissemination of the Korean Electoral System"—were used for labor costs instead. These were funds secured under the pretense of being indispensable projects. In December 2024, the NEC went so far as to divert 2.3 billion won from the general election management budget to cover internal labor costs. The diversion of budgets for labor costs was highest in 2024, reaching approximately 5.9 billion won. When SBS asked the NEC why so much of the budget had been reallocated, particularly to cover labor costs, the response was, "It was due to a high number of employees returning from leave at the end of the year."

The high number of NEC employees taking leave ahead of elections is an issue that has been pointed out annually in the National Assembly. According to the 2024 NEC leave records obtained by SBS, the number of employees on leave rose to 176 around April, when the general election was held. The number then decreased to 119 by the end of August and 114 by the end of September, before slightly rising to 127 by the end of December. This pattern of taking leave as elections approach and quietly returning once they are over has drawn criticism as a "moral hazard" that disrupts election management. As 40 to 50 employees returned to work, year-end labor costs—including unused annual leave compensation and performance-based salaries—surged, leading to budget reallocations and diversions to cover the shortfall.

[Kim Ki-hyun / Representative of the People Power Party: "Since the budget is funded by taxpayers' hard-earned money, it must be used in accordance with the purposes reviewed by the National Assembly. Yet, the unchecked National Election Commission managed it at its own whim, as if it were pocket money."]

The NEC's explanation was also heard in detail. The commission admitted that there was a shortage of public servant compensation in 2024 and 2025. However, it explained that 2024 had unique circumstances, pointing out that a manual tallying process was introduced during the general election vote-counting. Consequently, they had to hire additional ballot counting staff and lease extra machinery, which forced them to spend the pre-allocated labor budget early. As the number of returning employees subsequently increased, they diverted budgets from other categories to cover labor costs. The NEC also added that it had to consider the possibility that allocating too much for labor costs in the initial budget might not pass the National Assembly's review process.

Suspicion has also been raised that the NEC may have violated relevant legal provisions in the process of shifting budgets. Under the National Finance Act, any budget reallocation or diversion requires approval from the Ministry of Planning and Budget. The NEC obtained approval from the Ministry of Planning and Budget for only 219 cases totaling 15.3 billion won—about half of the total 30.5 billion won. This means the rest was diverted internally without approval. When asked about its stance, the NEC stated that, based on Article 46, Paragraph 2 of the relevant act, its internal reallocations fell within the exceptional scope delegated by the Ministry of Planning and Budget. The NEC also maintained a six-page internal regulation titled "Scope of Delegated Internal Reallocation Authority." According to this regulation, while internal diversion is possible for labor costs, consultation with the Ministry of Planning and Budget is required for regular wages, unused annual leave compensation, and compensation for other positions. The NEC explained that it did not violate this regulation. However, given that the amount of internal reallocations reached around 15 billion won, the commission cannot escape criticism that it should have minimized the application of such exception clauses, even if it did not technically violate the law. With some critics accusing the agency of "tricks" and "carelessly using taxpayers' money," the NEC needs to re-examine its work practices in this area as well.

The first meeting of the Special Parliamentary Committee on State Administration Inquiry to address and examine this issue was held on June 23. Both ruling and opposition lawmakers spoke with one voice, strongly criticizing the NEC's poor reporting and management systems, lax management, and loose internal discipline, which triggered the ballot paper shortage. Amid widespread calls for "structural reform on a scale equivalent to dissolution," the special committee decided to form a "preliminary expert investigation team" to draw up comprehensive reform measures. Furthermore, the NEC responded that a "one-point constitutional amendment should be considered if necessary." However, Representative Yoon Sang-hyun of the People Power Party, who chairs the special committee, showed a difference in stance regarding the constitutional amendment debate, saying, "Instead, let's establish a neutral, permanent audit committee within the NEC and create a system to report to the National Assembly." The second meeting of the special committee and the agency's briefing are scheduled for July 1.

※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.