Board of Audit Launches Accounting Probe into Election Commission

South Korea's Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) has initiated an accounting audit of the National Election Commission (NEC) in response to the ballot shortage that marred the June 3 local elections. BAI Chairman Kim Ho-cheol announced on June 24 that the commission had begun collecting data for the audit, with on-site inspections expected around July.

"Given the public's significant interest and concern over the unacceptable infringement of voting rights during the recent election, we have commenced an accounting audit," Kim stated at a press conference. The audit will scrutinize the NEC's budget planning and execution, contract management, and the acquisition, management, and accounting of supplies. Special attention will be paid to the budget and processes related to ballot production and any "splitting" of contracts awarded to specific suppliers.

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Given the public's significant interest and concern over the unacceptable infringement of voting rights during the recent election, we have commenced an accounting audit.

This move comes after the Constitutional Court ruled in February 2023 that the BAI cannot directly audit the duties of the NEC, an independent constitutional body. Instead, the BAI is proceeding with an accounting audit, which examines an institution's financial operations rather than its job performance. "While we cannot audit the NEC's duties, conducting accounting audits of constitutional bodies is our constitutional and statutory duty," Kim explained. "We will focus on matters related to the ballot shortage, but we must examine all related aspects to resolve public suspicion."

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While we cannot audit the NEC's duties, conducting accounting audits of constitutional bodies is our constitutional and statutory duty.

The audit is expected to cover the NEC's budget allocation and utilization, contract management, and the procurement and accounting of election materials. Allegations of the NEC awarding multiple small contracts to a few favored suppliers, rather than consolidating them, will also be investigated. Kim noted that contract management is intrinsically linked to budget execution and has been a point of concern in previous accounting audits.

Separately, a joint investigation team comprising police and prosecutors searched the offices of 12 NEC officials on June 24 as part of their ongoing probe into the ballot shortage. The searches targeted officials from the Seoul Metropolitan Election Commission and the Songpa District Election Commission.

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We will focus on matters related to the ballot shortage, but we must examine all related aspects to resolve public suspicion.