DistantNews
Support us
🇰🇷 South Korea /Elections & Politics

Parliamentary probe into election commission to feature key witnesses, site inspections

From Hankyoreh · () Korean

Translated from Korean, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Under investigation
  • A parliamentary investigation into the National Election Commission (NEC) will hold its second institutional briefing on August 1st.
  • Key witnesses, including the former NEC chairman and current NEC members, are scheduled to attend.
  • The investigation will also include on-site inspections of election-related facilities, including the Olympic Park counting center.

A parliamentary investigation into the National Election Commission (NEC) is set to hold its second institutional briefing on August 1st. The session will see the attendance of key figures, including former NEC Chairman Noh Tae-ak, current NEC Chairman Wi Cheol-hwan (acting), and eight other incumbent NEC members. The investigation committee has summoned a total of 30 NEC officials, including former NEC Secretary-General Heo Cheol-hoon.

We informed them that it is unacceptable for the NEC Truth Investigation Committee Chairman Cho Hyun-wook to attend at night due to a daytime appointment.

— Yoon Kun-youngRuling party floor leader, regarding the attendance of NEC officials at the investigation.

In addition to the NEC officials, the investigation will also hear testimony from 20 officials from the Seoul and Songpa District Election Commissions, where the ballot shortage issue was most prominent. This includes eight officials from the Seoul Election Commission, such as former Chairman Oh Min-seok, and twelve from the Songpa District Election Commission, including former Chairman Min So-young. Three officials from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, including Minister Yoon Ho-jung, and three from the National Police Agency, including Acting Commissioner Yoo Jae-seong, are also on the witness list.

We plan to enter the counting center at Olympic Park, but it will depend on the situation on the ground.

— Yoon Kun-youngRegarding the on-site inspection plans.

The investigation committee plans to conduct on-site inspections on August 2nd at the Olympic Park counting center in Songpa District and the Songpa District Election Commission. Further inspections are scheduled for August 7th at the NEC headquarters and the Seoul Election Commission. The committee's floor leader for the ruling Democratic Party, Yoon Kun-young, stated that the plan includes entering the Olympic Park counting center, but this will depend on the situation on the ground. He expressed hope for cooperation from those who had previously blockaded the counting center, emphasizing that a joint investigation by both ruling and opposition parties aims to uncover the truth.

We hope for your cooperation, as a joint investigation by both parties will bring us closer to uncovering the truth.

— Yoon Kun-youngAppealing to those who had blockaded the counting center.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Hankyoreh in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog