An official belonging to the National Election Commission (NEC) who was undergoing questioning by the special counsel team led by Special Counsel Lee Tae-han has been found dead.

At around 7:06 a.m. today (October 21), a man in his 40s surnamed A, a grade 5 official (senior manager) belonging to the NEC's election infrastructure division, was found dead in the garden of an apartment complex in Bongdam-eup, Hwaseong.

Official A is presumed to have jumped from the apartment building where he resided, and his suicide note reportedly contains grievances expressing a sense of unfairness regarding the investigation process by the NEC special counsel team.

It was ascertained that official A appeared before the NEC special counsel team yesterday morning as a suspect accused of obstruction of bidding and professional breach of trust.

The special counsel team has been looking into overall service contracts for election supplies—such as early voting boxes and polling station guide signs—during last year's presidential election and this year's local elections, while expanding its investigation into bidding corruption suspicions.

Official A finished his questioning in the presence of legal counsel at around 8:55 p.m. yesterday, spent about an hour and 45 minutes reading his suspect interrogation protocol, and returned home at approximately 10:40 p.m.

The special counsel team stated, "We express our deepest condolences to the deceased," adding, "The interrogation protocol was reviewed and modified based on the suspect's voluntary intent, and there were no coercive situations during the investigation process."

Special Counsel Lee Tae-han had planned to pay a courtesy call on Kim Ji-yong, the inaugural head of the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency, this afternoon and explain future plans to reporters through a door-stepping session (brief impromptu press conference), but abruptly postponed the schedule.

(Photo: Yonhap News)