The joint prosecution-police investigation team looking into the National Election Commission's (NEC) vote statistics manipulation scandal has launched additional raids on offices in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province suspected of involvement in the manipulation.

The Joint Investigation Headquarters for the Truth-Finding on the Infringement of Citizens' Suffrage Rights (headed by Kim Tae-hoon, Deputy Chief Prosecutor at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office) announced today (August 7) that it is "conducting searches and seizures at the National Election Commission, the Seoul, Gyeonggi, and North Chungcheong Provincial Election Commissions, the Gimpo, Uiwang, and Jincheon County Election Commissions, and the Seocho and Gangnam District Election Commissions."

It was learned that the search warrants list charges including the falsification of official electronic records and obstruction of official duties.

The joint investigation team is looking into findings that working-level officials at election commissions in charge of managing local polling stations during the June 3 local elections arbitrarily modified statistical figures in the election management system to cover up errors in inputting voter counts.

Instead of following proper procedures—which require reporting errors to superiors and receiving approval before modifying figures—officials allegedly manipulated statistics by arbitrarily entering false numbers.

It was also confirmed that on the morning of the election, an NEC official sent "manipulation guidelines" to regional election commissions, stating, "As a rule, do not correct voter count errors even if they occur," and "Unless there are major errors, you may report by adding or subtracting the figures in the next hourly voter count report."

Investigators subsequently secured records showing that when inquiries regarding voter count input errors came in from places such as Gimpo, the NEC side created and sent Excel files containing specific statistical manipulation methods and figures.

While previously investigating the ballot paper shortage scandal, the joint investigation team confirmed messenger chat logs where NEC staff conspired not to report voter count input errors to superiors, but instead to arbitrarily adjust them to "match the numbers."

Based on these findings, the team launched a full-scale investigation into the vote statistics manipulation scandal by raiding the NEC and other offices on July 23.

Having continued questioning related personnel and analyzing materials following the initial raids, the joint investigation team reportedly captured circumstances indicating that the statistical manipulation went beyond certain regions and took place on a widespread scale nationwide, prompting today's additional raids.

The joint investigation team plans to examine the circumstances under which the "manipulation guidelines" issued by the NEC on election day were drafted and transmitted, as well as what measures regional election commissions took based on them.

While specific manipulation acts have been uncovered in Gimpo and Uiwang in Gyeonggi Province, Jincheon in North Chungcheong Province, and Gangnam and Seocho in Seoul, the investigation is expected to expand further as suspicious circumstances emerge in various parts of the country.

(Photo: Yonhap News)