Representative Joo Jin-woo of the People Power Party stated, "We have uncovered 41 polling stations where handwritten 'ballot counting tally sheets' prepared in front of observers during the 22nd general election differed from the 'ballot counting result values' entered by National Election Commission (NEC) staff without observers present."

Holding a press conference at the National Assembly today (October 25), Rep. Joo said, "Under Article 178 of the Public Official Election Act, every polling station is required to prepare a ballot counting tally sheet under the presence of observers and announce the results accordingly," adding, "However, during the process where NEC staff entered the data without observers, false entries differing from reality were recorded."

Rep. Joo stated that cross-checking the ballot counting tally sheets submitted by the NEC with the counting results in the capital region revealed discrepancies totaling 116 votes across eight polling stations—68 votes at six polling stations in Seoul, 24 votes at one polling station in Gyeonggi, and 24 votes at one polling station in Incheon—and the difference in the number of voters between the tally sheets and the computerized system reached 14,214.

He also pointed out, "Fifty days have passed since the special counsel team on the NEC was launched, but they have held only a few briefings and have not placed a single person under arrest for investigation," adding, "Hiding in back rooms and merely shouting for scientific investigations will not earn public trust."

In particular, he said, "The scope of the investigation must be expanded to include the manipulation of vote totals in the last presidential and general elections, and digital forensic examinations of the NEC servers regarding both elections must also be conducted," adding, "I will submit the cases of false entries discovered today to the special counsel along with evidentiary materials."

(Photo: Yonhap News)