Joint Investigation Team Summons Election Officials Over Ballot Shortage Scandal

The joint investigation team of prosecutors and police, tasked with uncovering the truth behind the ballot shortage during the June 3 local elections, is continuing its questioning of election commission staff and local government officials who worked at the polling stations.

The joint investigation team is currently questioning one official from the Songpa-gu Election Commission as a witness today, June 29.

The official is known to have been responsible for managing polling stations in Seoul, including Jamsil 7-dong, where the ballot shortage occurred.

The investigation team is focusing on determining how election commission officials, upon being notified of the ballot shortage at the polling stations, reported the situation internally and what instructions they received in response.

To this end, the team conducted a search and seizure operation on 12 election commission officials on June 24. Since then, they have been summoning them for questioning one by one to reconstruct the reporting channels and response measures taken on election day.

Once the questioning of the staff and the analysis of the seized materials are complete, the investigation is expected to shift its focus toward the higher-ups, including former National Election Commission Chairperson Roh Tae-ak and former Secretary-General Heo Cheol-hoon, who have been booked as suspects.

The joint investigation team is also summoning six local government officials who worked at the polling stations for questioning as witnesses today.

These individuals reportedly served as voting administrators at the Seoul polling stations where the ballot shortage took place.

Discussions regarding the expansion of the joint investigation team's personnel are also ongoing.

Previously, President Lee Jae-myung mentioned the need for an investigation into the overall internal operations of the National Election Commission during a cabinet meeting, suggesting that the current team of approximately 30 members needs to be expanded.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.