President Lee Jae-myung appointed Lee Tae-han, a nonstanding member of the Anti-Corruption & Civil Rights Commission, as special counsel to investigate the National Election Commission's managerial failures that surfaced with the June 3 local elections "ballot shortage incident." Kang Yu-jung, the senior presidential spokesperson, announced the appointment on the 18th.
The special counsel served at the Ulsan District Prosecutors' Office and the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office, and later as chief of the criminal division 4 at the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office. Currently, as an attorney and member of law firm Dongin, the special counsel is serving as a nonstanding member of the Anti-Corruption & Civil Rights Commission (ACRC). Earlier, on the 14th, the National Election Commission special counsel public recommendation committee recommended the special counsel and Lee Hyuk, former prosecutor at the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office, as candidates, and President Lee made the final appointment from among them.
The special counsel on the National Election Commission was introduced to determine the cause of the ballot shortage that occurred at many polling stations nationwide during the June 3 local elections. At the time, voting was temporarily suspended at 22 polling stations, and in some areas, voters were unable to cast ballots until the close of voting, expanding into an issue of infringement on suffrage.
The special counsel act passed the National Assembly's plenary session on the 30th of last month and will investigate a total of 12 items, including ▲ infringement of suffrage due to the ballot shortage ▲ forcing the vote count ▲ lowering the minimum threshold for the volume of ballot printing ▲ manipulation of turnout aggregation ▲ poor management and security of the election management system.