Baek Jongwook: "Voter Registry Could Be Stolen or Altered"
Avoids Answering Questions on Election System and Alleged Election Fraud
Former National Intelligence Service (NIS) 3rd Deputy Director Baek Jong-wook supported President Yoon Seok-yeol's side, stating that "security management was inadequate during the security inspection of the National Election Commission's (NEC) computer system." President Yoon's camp is arguing for the necessity of inspecting the election system amid allegations of 'election fraud.'
Baek Jong-wook, the 3rd Deputy Director of the National Intelligence Service, is attending the National Assembly Intelligence Committee's audit of the National Intelligence Service held at the National Intelligence Service building in Naegok-dong, Seoul, on the morning of the 1st. Photo by the National Assembly Press Photographers Group
On the afternoon of the 11th, Baek, who attended the 7th hearing of President Yoon Seok-yeol's impeachment trial as a witness, said, "I thought the NEC system maintained the highest level of security, but there were several vulnerabilities," adding, "We identified issues including the possibility of internal intrusion from external sources, and the security level was quite insufficient." Baek was the person leading related work at the NIS during the NEC security inspection in July 2023.
Baek also claimed that if the election system were attacked, the voter registry could be stolen or altered. When asked, "Is it true that a hacker who penetrated the NEC system could change the contents of the integrated voter registry, making it possible to mark those who voted early as not having voted?" he replied, "That is what I understand."
In response, the National Assembly side attempted to refute the possibility of election fraud, but Baek avoided answering their questions. When asked, "Are you aware that voting and counting are conducted with numerous observers present?" and "Wouldn't election fraud require many accomplices acting in an organized manner?" he answered, "I am not familiar with the election system, so I cannot respond," and "I will not speak about election fraud," respectively.
There was also a dispute over the claim that the NEC refused an investigation by the NIS. When asked by the National Assembly, "Unlike other constitutional institutions, can it be seen as a refusal because the NEC did not request an inspection?" Baek explained, "They refused 10 years ago in 2015, and since then, no request was made, so we could not conduct an inspection." However, he added, "In 2023, the NEC contacted us first regarding the security inspection. Since they had never undergone an inspection before, we discussed the method and received the initial contact."
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