The number of district election offices found to have entered false hourly turnout figures into election statistics during the June 3 local elections has risen to 36 nationwide. The special counsel team investigating the National Election Commission said it will focus its investigation on determining how the false entries were made and whether they involved organized participation, based on newly seized materials and statements from those involved.
The special counsel said on the 22nd that it had "additionally confirmed that six district election offices nationwide falsely entered hourly turnout figures into election statistics." The offices where the allegations were newly confirmed are the election commissions of Chungju in North Chungcheong Province, Nonsan in South Chungcheong Province, the Masanhappo and Masanhoewon districts of Changwon in South Gyeongsang Province, Sangju in North Gyeongsang Province, and Gangneung in Gangwon State.
The team had earlier stationed digital forensic investigators at the National Election Commission for several weeks, analyzing log data on hourly turnout at polling stations across the country, and confirmed that 30 district election offices had entered false turnout figures. Six more were added through subsequent analysis of additional seized materials and questioning of those involved.
Launched on Sept. 7, the special counsel is investigating 12 sets of allegations surrounding the ninth nationwide local elections, including ballot shortages, manipulation of voting statistics, junket-style overseas trips by election commission officials, irregular hiring and promotion favors, and preferential private contracts and collusion with vendors. Since its launch, it has received and reviewed original investigation records and evidence from the joint police-prosecution investigation headquarters and questioned those who filed the complaints.
On the 15th, the team conducted sweeping raids on 17 locations — seven sites, including the National Election Commission, over the alleged false entry of hourly turnout figures at the 30 district election offices, and 10 more sites, including the Busan, South Gyeongsang and North Gyeongsang provincial election commissions, five district election offices, the Election Training Institute in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, and the residences of election commission officials, over alleged favoritism in election equipment storage contracts.
An official with the special counsel team said it "plans to concentrate its investigation on uncovering how and on what scale the hourly turnout figures were falsely entered into election statistics, and whether there was organized participation."