A special counsel team led by Lee Tae-han, investigating a range of alleged misconduct at South Korea's election authorities, has launched compulsory measures after finding indications that false reports were filed over overseas trips taken by Noh Tae-ak, former chairman of the National Election Commission. The team has confirmed signs that Noh's post-trip reports contained descriptions at odds with his actual activities, and is examining how the documents came about and whether others were involved.
The special counsel team said on the 21st that it searched Noh's residence and the National Election Commission that morning, seizing a mobile phone and related documents. The search warrant cited allegations of occupational embezzlement, along with the preparation and use of false official documents.
Investigators are also understood to have found further indications that a commission official entered false information into overseas travel reports, which are official documents. The searches appear aimed at establishing how the reports were drafted, what the actual itineraries were and what took place on the ground. The team has not disclosed which parts of the reports are alleged to be false, or how much of the travel spending is suspected of having been embezzled.
Earlier this month, on the 14th and 15th, the team carried out large-scale searches of the National Election Commission and provincial, city and district election offices, widening a probe into the alleged false entry of voter turnout figures and preferential treatment in contracts for storing election materials. At the time, investigators found indications that 30 city and district election offices nationwide had entered false hourly voter counts, and moved to secure the related electronic records and data.
The team plans to analyze the mobile phone and documents seized in the latest searches to determine whether any laws were broken in connection with the overseas trips and whether commission staff were involved. It also intends to press ahead with inquiries into allegations that current and former commissioners and employees took junket-style trips, as well as other suspected irregularities in how the agency has been run.