After the Election, a 'Return-to-Work Rush': Misusing Taxpayer Money to Cover Payroll Shortfalls

00:00 Intro
01:25 Budget shuffled around: 255 cases, over 30.5 billion won
02:18 Labeled as necessary, but 80% diverted to labor costs
03:12 Is the "salary shortfall" due to year-end returns?
04:47 Numerous unauthorized budget changes: Controversy over legal violations?
06:01 Criticism of a "broken system": Heated discussions on constitutional amendment

The National Election Commission (NEC) is facing intense scrutiny as its poor election management, sparked by the ballot paper shortage during the June 3 local elections, continues to dominate headlines. Public anger over the infringement of voting rights, combined with sharp criticism of the NEC's lax operational practices, has kept the issue at the forefront of the news. There is growing analysis that the NEC's long-standing status as a constitutionally independent body has prevented the necessary oversight, control, and checks, ultimately leading to the current situation.

[Yoon Sang-hyun / Chairman of the Special Committee on the Investigation of the Ballot Shortage: The independence of the National Election Commission guaranteed by the Constitution is meant to ensure accountability to the people, not to grant immunity after infringing upon their right to vote.]

A parliamentary investigation is currently underway, and both ruling and opposition parties are discussing the introduction of a special prosecutor to clearly identify those responsible and ensure accountability. Regarding the verification of the NEC, SBS has exclusively reported on various issues, including allegations of "pleasure trips" taken by former NEC Chairperson Roh Tae-ak and his spouse, and structural problems such as the fact that 70% of the additional ballots delivered on election day were unnumbered, which caused significant difficulties in emergency response. Furthermore, the SBS reporting team has now uncovered issues regarding the NEC's budget management. The NEC typically drafts its budget for the following year around August and receives funding after parliamentary review. Naturally, taxpayer money should be used for its intended purpose, but it has been revealed that the budget was transferred and diverted for various reasons.

1. Budget shuffled around: 255 cases, over 30.5 billion won
SBS obtained the "Status of Budget Transfers and Diversions by the National Election Commission over the Past 3 Years" through the office of Representative Kim Gi-hyeon of the People Power Party. A year-by-year breakdown shows 4 cases totaling approximately 3.67 billion won in 2023, 154 cases totaling approximately 24.1 billion won in 2024, and 97 cases totaling approximately 2.63 billion won in 2025. In total, this amounts to 255 cases and about 30.5 billion won. Looking at the figures, the scale and frequency of budget shuffling were significantly higher in 2024. In April of that year, the country held the National Assembly election, the largest of all nationwide elections. While it may be possible to divert funds if they are urgently needed for purposes other than those originally planned, our reporting team's concern is that the frequency and scale suggest this cannot be considered an exceptional situation. Upon further investigation, it was revealed that the majority of these budget transfers and diversions were due to "labor costs."

2. Labeled as necessary, but 80% diverted to labor costs
Over the past three years, 212 cases of budget diversion by the NEC, accounting for 83% of the total or 7.3 billion won, were used to cover labor costs. Specifically, funds originally allocated for "election management and supplies," "consigned election management," "election broadcast debates," "political party office support," "election information and records management," "international exchange projects," and the ODA project "overseas dissemination of the Korean election system"—all necessary for smooth election preparation—were used for labor costs. These budgets were originally approved based on the claim that they were essential for these specific projects. In December 2024, 2.3 billion won originally allocated for National Assembly election management was even used to cover internal labor costs. The diversion of labor cost budgets was highest in 2024, reaching 5.9 billion won. When we asked the NEC why they had diverted so much of the budget, especially to cover labor costs, the response was that it was "due to the high number of employees returning from leave at the end of the year."

3. Is the "salary shortfall" due to year-end returns?
The high number of NEC employees taking leave before elections is a recurring issue pointed out by the National Assembly every year. According to the 2024 status of NEC employees on leave obtained by SBS, the number of employees on leave rose to 176 around April, when the general election was held. The number then decreased to 119 by the end of August and 114 by the end of September, before rising slightly to 127 by the end of December. This pattern—employees taking leave as elections approach and returning shortly after they end—is why critics point to "moral hazard" that disrupts election management. As 40 to 50 employees returned to work, the scale of year-end labor costs, including annual leave compensation and performance-based bonuses, increased, which explains the budget transfers and diversions made to cover these costs.

[Kim Gi-hyeon / People Power Party Representative: 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 managing it as if it were their own pocket money.]

We also heard the NEC's explanation. They acknowledged that there was a shortfall in civil servant salaries in 2024 and 2025. However, they explained that 2024 had unique circumstances. They stated that because a manual counting process was introduced during the general election vote count, they had to hire additional counting staff and rent extra equipment, which forced them to use the existing labor budget first. As the number of employees returning from leave increased later, they had to divert funds from other categories to cover labor costs. They added that they also considered the possibility that if they requested too much labor budget, it might not be approved during the National Assembly review process.

4. Numerous unauthorized budget changes: Controversy over legal violations?
Allegations have also been raised that the NEC may have violated relevant laws while shuffling the budget. According to the National Finance Act, budget transfers and diversions require approval from the Ministry of Economy and Finance. The NEC received approval from the ministry for 219 cases totaling 15.3 billion won, which is about half of the total 30.5 billion won. This means the rest were diverted internally without approval. When asked about this, the NEC cited Article 46, Paragraph 2 of the relevant law, stating that the internal transfers and diversions fell within the exceptional scope delegated by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. The NEC was applying the "2026 Budget and Fund Management Plan Execution Guidelines" published by the ministry. According to these regulations, while internal diversion is possible for labor costs, items such as regular wages, annual leave compensation, and other personnel expenses require consultation with the ministry. They explained that they did not violate these regulations. However, since the amount of internal transfers and diversions reached approximately 15 billion won, it seems difficult for the NEC to avoid criticism that they should have minimized the application of these exception clauses, even if it was not a legal violation. As some have criticized the NEC for "carelessly using taxpayer money" and employing "tricks," it is necessary for the NEC to re-examine its operational practices in this area as well.

5. Criticism of a "broken system": Heated discussions on constitutional amendment
The National Assembly's Special Committee on the Investigation of the Ballot Shortage held its first meeting on the 23rd to address and examine these issues. Both ruling and opposition parties voiced strong criticism regarding the NEC's poor reporting, management system, bloated management, and internal discipline issues that triggered the ballot shortage. There is much talk about the need for "structural reform at the level of dismantling." The special committee decided to form an "expert preliminary investigation team" to prepare comprehensive reform measures. In addition, when asked, the NEC responded that a "one-point constitutional amendment" should be considered if necessary. However, the special committee chairman, Yoon Sang-hyun of the People Power Party, expressed a difference in opinion regarding constitutional amendment, suggesting that "instead, we should create a neutral permanent audit committee within the NEC and establish a system to report to the National Assembly." The second meeting of the special committee and the agency report are scheduled for the 1st of next month.

Reported by Son Hyung-an | Produced by Shin Hee-sook | Video by Choi Ho-jun | Video Editing by Hong Jin-young | Graphics by Lee Soo-min | Produced by SBS Digital News




※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.