Senior Officials Accused of Dereliction of Duty
Group Says "Distrust in the Election Commission Has Grown"
Civil groups have filed a complaint with the prosecution against senior officials of the Central Election Commission regarding the controversy over the removal of ballot papers on the first day of early voting for the 21st presidential election.
According to the legal community on the 30th, the Seomin Minsheng Countermeasures Committee filed a complaint the previous day with the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office against Noh Taeak, Chairperson of the Election Commission, Kim Yongbin, Secretary General, and Heo Cheolhun, Deputy Secretary General, on charges including dereliction of duty.
The group claimed, "As administrators, they grossly neglected their duty of care," and argued, "This incident has deepened public distrust in the Election Commission."
The controversy over lax management arose after citizens were seen outside the early voting station at the former Sinchon-dong Community Center in Seodaemun-gu, holding ballot papers and return envelopes.
There were also reports that some citizens waiting to vote in out-of-district elections left the polling station with their ballot papers to have a meal and then returned. During this process, suspicions were raised that the secondary identity verification was not properly conducted.
On the 30th, an official is monitoring the CCTV of the early voting box storage location in the jurisdiction at the Comprehensive Election Situation Room of the Central Election Commission in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province.
The Election Commission, in a statement issued under the name of the Secretary General, admitted to poor management and control, stating, "There was a case where the line of out-of-district voters waiting to mark their ballots after receiving them extended outside the polling station."
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