Special Counsel Verifies 2.47 Million Ballots at Olympic Park Amid Transport Delay

[Anchor]

The special counsel investigating various allegations against the National Election Commission has wrapped up an on-site verification of 2.47 million ballots stored at the Olympic Park Handball Gymnasium after about 12 hours. However, the verified ballots remain inside the gymnasium as the People Power Party strongly opposes their transfer.

Reporter Kim Gyu-ri has the details.

[Reporter]

The special counsel's on-site verification of the 2.47 million ballots stored at the Olympic Park Handball Gymnasium in Seoul has concluded after approximately 12 hours.

Special Counsel Lee Tae-han declared the end of the ballot verification at around 12:30 a.m. today (October 29).

[Lee Tae-han / Special Prosecutor for the National Election Commission: Today, respecting the objections raised by observers during the verification process, the special counsel voluntarily secured entire ballot boxes and selected a significant number of ballots deemed to require further analysis, which we plan to subject to detailed forensic examination later.]

He also stated that the team would ensure no premature conclusions are drawn or suspicions dismissed regarding matters that have yet to be verified.

However, the verified ballots have not yet been moved out of the handball gymnasium.

Observers from the People Power Party, led by Representative Jang Dong-hyeok, have launched an overnight sit-in to block the transfer of the ballots, arguing that suspicions regarding the ballot counting have not been resolved.

The verification, which began 147 days after the June 3 local elections, mobilized 110 special counsel staff members and about 500 National Election Commission employees.

Seated across 40 tables, officials inspected the ballots one by one to check quantities and verify whether any were forged.

The special counsel explained that if problematic ballots are discovered during the process, they will be separately classified for a secondary verification, and if irregularities are confirmed, the matter could be transitioned into a formal investigation.

The verification was originally scheduled to begin yesterday at 9:00 a.m. after allowing the National Assembly and press observation groups into the venue, but faced friction from the start over the permitted scope of filming.

In the end, the special counsel permitted filming by two broadcasting camera crews and two observers from the ruling and opposition parties, allowing the verification to start at 11:49 a.m., about three hours later than planned.

The special counsel noted that this verification is being conducted as part of an investigation and is not a recount, meaning it will not affect the determination of winning candidates or vote counts.

(Photo: Yonhap News) (Video by Joo Yong-jin and Kim Nam-sung, Video Editing by Yoon Tae-ho)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.