Exclusive: Former NEC Chair Took Spouse on Every Overseas Trip Using Taxpayer Money

[Anchor]

It has been revealed that former National Election Commission (NEC) Chairperson Noh Tae-ak, who resigned following a ballot paper shortage scandal, was accompanied by his spouse on all three of his overseas trips during his tenure. Expenses such as airfare and accommodation for his spouse were covered by public funds. The NEC omitted these facts from its publicly disclosed reports.

Reporter Ko Jung-hyun has the story.

[Reporter]

This is a report published on the NEC website regarding an 8-night, 10-day overseas trip to Denmark and Sweden taken last November, seven months before the June 3 local elections, by then-Chairperson Noh Tae-ak and three staff members, totaling four people.

The stated purpose of the trip was to discuss the development of the election system.

However, in photos taken during a visit to the South Korean Embassy in Denmark and a dinner at the official residence, a woman is seen standing next to the then-Chairperson.

Who is she?

According to a confidential trip plan obtained by SBS, the remarks section for then-Chairperson Noh in the list of travelers explicitly states "spouse accompanying."

While the report released to the public by the NEC stated there were four travelers, it has been confirmed that there were actually five, including the then-Chairperson's wife.

We also examined the details of the trip's budget, which totaled 90.53 million won.

The budget included business class airfare for two people, and accommodation costs were settled for five people, not four.

What about the overseas trip in November 2024, when former Chairperson Noh visited Germany and Estonia?

That trip, which cost 71.9 million won, also involved his spouse.

The NEC did not disclose this fact in the trip report released to the public at that time either.

It has been confirmed that former Chairperson Noh, who also served as a Supreme Court Justice, went on three overseas trips during his four-year term as NEC Chairperson, and he was accompanied by his spouse on every single one.

[Yang Bu-kyam / Democratic Party Lawmaker: Neglecting his primary duties of election management while using 'international exchange' as a pretext to take his spouse on trips is a clear case of preferential treatment for leisure and a waste of taxpayer money.]

The report on the Denmark-Sweden trip shows that the local officials Noh met with were mostly working-level staff, such as a director at the Copenhagen City Hall and a team leader at the Swedish Election Authority.

Critics point out that this is not commensurate with his status as the fifth-highest-ranking official in the country's order of precedence.

The itinerary consisted of only one or two events per day, and there were even days when the only activity was laying a wreath at a Korean War memorial.

Regarding the "spouse-accompanied trips," the NEC stated, "It was necessary to consider the protocol befitting the status and role of a head of a constitutional institution, so the spouse's expenses were included in the budget from the start," adding, "We followed precedent, but we will operate in a way that meets public expectations in the future."

They explained that they did not include this in the publicly disclosed reports because the spouse is not a public official.

SBS attempted to contact former Chairperson Noh for his response, but he could not be reached.

(Video reporting: Kim Han-gyeol, Video editing: Shin Se-eun, Graphics: Choi Jin-hoe)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.