Exclusive: National Election Commission Misused Billions in Election Budget for Personnel Costs

[Anchor]

An SBS investigation has confirmed that the National Election Commission (NEC) diverted budget funds originally allocated for election preparations to cover personnel costs. One of the reasons cited was the mass return of employees who had been on leave during the busy election period.

Reporter Son Hyung-ahn has the story.

[Reporter]

SBS has obtained records showing that the National Election Commission diverted budget funds for purposes other than their original intent over the past three years, starting in 2023.

The total amount reached 30.4 billion won across 255 instances over the three-year period: 3.6 billion won in 4 instances in 2023, 24.1 billion won in 154 instances in 2024, and 2.6 billion won in 97 instances in 2025.

Where was this diverted budget spent?

Out of the 255 instances of misuse, 212 cases—or 83%—were used to cover "personnel costs."

Funds originally earmarked for "election management and supply management," "entrusted election management," "election debate broadcasts," and "international exchange programs" were redirected to pay for staff salaries.

The total amount over three years was 7.3 billion won. The year 2024, which included the general election, saw the highest amount at 5.9 billion won. The NEC explained to the National Assembly that this was "due to the high number of employees returning from leave."

According to data on the number of employees on leave obtained by SBS, the figure rose to 176 around the time of the April 2024 general election before showing a downward trend, with 114 employees on leave at the end of September and 127 at the end of December.

As the number of employees on leave decreased after the election, the number of active staff increased by 40 to 50 people. This led to an increase in year-end personnel expenses, including annual leave compensation and performance-based bonuses, which the NEC covered by pulling funds from other budget categories.

[Kim Gi-hyeon / People Power Party Lawmaker: Since the budget is funded by taxpayers' money, it should be used in accordance with the purposes reviewed by the National Assembly. However, the unchecked NEC has been operating it as if it were their own pocket money.]

In response, the NEC stated that the internal transfer of budget funds falls within the exceptional scope delegated by the Ministry of Economy and Finance and does not constitute a violation of the law. They further explained that in 2024, the increase in personnel costs was driven not only by the number of returning employees but also by the introduction of manual vote counting procedures.

(Video reporting: Lee Seung-hwan, Shin Dong-hwan | Video editing: Yoon Tae-ho | Graphics: Im Chan-hyuk)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.