South Korean Election Commission Faces Scrutiny Over Vote Counting Irregularities

A joint investigation by police and prosecutors has uncovered evidence suggesting the National Election Commission (NEC) may have manipulated vote counts during the recent 6.3 local elections. Previously, the NEC has largely dismissed accusations of election fraud as conspiracy theories, often citing its independent status to avoid scrutiny. Explanations for numerical discrepancies have typically been attributed to administrative errors or human mistakes.

However, the recent probe, initiated following issues like a shortage of ballots, has significantly eroded public trust in the NEC's explanations. Even politicians from the ruling party have expressed concern, stating that allegations of election fraud can no longer be dismissed outright. While the investigation has not yet definitively concluded whether the alleged manipulation benefited specific political groups, the findings indicate that intentional falsification of statistics has occurred, contradicting the NEC's prior assurances.

Beyond the officially reported 72 cases of vote count manipulation in the 6.3 elections, further irregularities have emerged. In Daegu's Buk-gu, discrepancies were found in the recording of ballot distribution for the mayoral election. Initially, 9,976 ballots were recorded as distributed, but this figure was later changed to 11,387. The regional election commission attributed this to errors in recording remaining ballots and data entry mistakes by staff.

Further examination of the Daegu case revealed inconsistencies between the electronic counting machine's display, the NEC's website, and the regional commission's statements. In one instance, the number of counted ballots exceeded the initially distributed amount by over 1,400. Similar issues have been reported in other districts, including Songhyeon 2-dong and Songhyeon 2-dong, where the number of ballots counted did not align with the number distributed.

Concerns also extend to the physical handling of ballot boxes. Numerous reports indicate that ballot boxes, which should be sealed and locked during transport, arrived at counting stations with seals broken or locks opened. In Pyeongtaek, a ballot box was found with its securing pins detached, and in Seoul's Nowon district, a seal was discovered to have been cut. The destruction of a ballot box in Jamsil 7-dong prior to a court order for evidence preservation has further intensified the investigation.