All six candidates for the "Election Commission Special Prosecutor," tasked with investigating the shortage of ballot papers during the June 3 local elections, have been selected from backgrounds as former prosecutors.

The Korean Bar Association recommended Lee Hyuk (20th class of the Judicial Research and Training Institute), former High Prosecutor at the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office; Lee Tae-han (23rd class), former Chief of the Criminal Division 4 at the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office; and Lee Keum-gyu (33rd class), Special Assistant Prosecutor for the Independent Counsel Team investigating the death of a marine.

The candidates recommended by the Korea Association of Law Schools include Lim Kwan-hyuk (26th class), former High Prosecutor General of the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office; Kim Yang-su (29th class), former Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the Busan High Prosecutors' Office; and Seo Jung-shik (31st class), former Head of the Seongnam Branch.

The candidates are figures who were classified as "special investigation experts" within the prosecution or have previously handled investigations involving public officials.

Former Prosecutor Lee Hyuk worked on the independent counsel team investigating corruption involving aides of former President Roh Moo-hyun and was previously named among the candidates for head of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO).

Former Chief Prosecutor Lee Tae-han, who was also included in the CIO head candidate group, previously served as the head of the special investigation division at the Ulsan District Prosecutors' Office.

Former High Prosecutor General Lim Kwan-hyuk is also a prominent special investigation expert within the prosecution, having successively served as the head of Special Divisions 1 and 2 at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office and as the head of the special investigation team for the Sewol ferry disaster.

Former Deputy Chief Prosecutor Kim Yang-su passed through the special investigation department at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office and the Supreme Prosecutors' Office Central Investigation Department, and previously served as the head of the investigation team for the Kangwon Land scandal.

Former Branch Head Seo Jung-shik served as the head of the special inspection team at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office and investigated the fake seafood entrepreneur case involving former Independent Counsel Park Young-soo during his tenure as a division head at the Central District Prosecutors' Office.

Former Special Assistant Prosecutor Lee Keum-gyu has worked in the violent crimes department at the Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office and the criminal department at the Seoul Western District Prosecutors' Office.

The public recommendation committee for the special counsel candidates, for which the Democratic Party of Korea and the People Power Party each recommended three figures, plans to hold a meeting tomorrow (the 14th) to review the candidates.

Once the public recommendation committee evaluates the candidates' investigative expertise and neutrality to narrow them down to two candidates and recommends them to the President, President Lee Jae-myung will appoint one of them as the special prosecutor.

(Photo: Yonhap News)