(ATTN: UPDATES throughout with details, additional raid; CHANGES photo)
SEOUL, Oct. 15 (Yonhap) -- A special counsel team said Thursday that 30 local election commissions falsely entered voter turnout data during the June 3 local elections.
Special counsel Lee Tae-han's team said its investigation has found false alterations to voter turnout figures by the local commissions after reviewing turnout records and questioning over 70 election workers.
While the final voter turnout figures for the elections were entered correctly, the commissions are accused of altering figures as voting took place.
The team sent investigators to the National Election Commission in Gwacheon, just south of Seoul, as well as six local offices across the country, including in Busan's Nam Ward, to seize evidence related to the allegations.
Separately, the special counsel team also searched the local election commission in Busan and nine other locations to secure evidence linked to allegations of preferential treatment in contracts for election supply storage.
The team has uncovered signs the local election commissions in Busan as well as South Gyeongsang and North Gyeongsang provinces have signed exclusive storage deals with certain companies since 2022, amounting to preferential treatment.
Lee's team was launched last month to investigate ballot shortages reported across the country during the June elections in addition to allegations of election data manipulation and other misconduct by the election watchdog.
A sculpture on elections is seen outside the National Election Commission's headquarters in Gwacheon, just south of Seoul, on Oct. 15, 2026. (Yonhap)
yunhwanchae@yna.co.kr
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