Two National Election Commission employees were sent to trial on charges of manipulating applicants' interview scores to balance the gender ratio.
On the 1st, the Changwon District Prosecutors Office Criminal Division 4 (Director General Lee Jae-won) indicted a man in his 50s, identified as A, and a man in his 40s, identified as B, both National Election Commission employees, without detention on charges including violating the State Public Officials Act.
According to the prosecution's investigation, in July–Aug. 2021, A and B handled experienced-hire recruiting at the Gyeongsangnam-do National Election Commission and selected successful candidates regardless of the interview evaluation results.
They said it was necessary to adjust the gender ratio of those who passed, and lowered the interview scores of two female applicants who had originally been in the passing range, marking them as failed.
Instead, they raised the interview scores of two male applicants who had initially failed and made them final passers, it was found. At the time, they were a Director and a section chief at the Gyeongsangnam-do National Election Commission.
Of the four interview panel members, they erased the score sheets written in pencil by two internal National Election Commission Commissioners and altered the scores with a felt-tip pen.
A also directly took part in the evaluation as an internal interview Commissioner, it was found. A and B are currently working at other National Election Commissions, and the two male applicants who passed at the time are also said to remain in their positions.
The prosecution, which investigated the case on a request from the Board of Audit and Inspection, said the actions undermined the fairness of personnel systems at the National Election Commission, a constitutional body, and plans to do its utmost to sustain the indictment.