Zürcher Nachrichten - South Korea election office raided in fake turnout figures probe: investigators

Dozens of polling stations experienced unprecedented ballot paper shortages on the June 3 nationwide vote, the first since President Lee Jae Myung took office last year.

The controversy sparked the resignation of National Election Commission (NEC) chief Roh Tae-ak and demonstrations demanding an election re-run. Lee ordered a "thorough" investigation.

In a broader investigation into the mishap, a joint team of police and prosecutors said on Thursday it was raiding the NEC's offices over signs that officials falsified voter turnout figures.

"We have found indications that officials from the National Election Commission and the Gyeonggi Provincial Election Commission entered false voter turnout figures during the local elections," the team's spokesman told AFP.

The team is "also conducting searches and seizures of those involved", he added.

Investigators are probing whether some officials manipulated the election statistics system to correct earlier errors in voter turnout figures on the day of the local elections.

Under NEC rules, any correction to reported turnout figures must go through a formal approval process.

Instead, investigators suspect some officials adjusted figures across multiple polling stations to keep the totals consistent while waiting for actual turnout numbers to catch up, bypassing the required reporting process.

For example, if 1,000 voters were mistakenly entered instead of 100 at one polling station, investigators believe officials redistributed the excess 900 votes across other polling stations, expecting later voting to narrow the gap, according to Seoul's Yonhap News Agency.

Analysts have said the NEC, a constitutional body with limited external oversight, has long faced gaps in internal discipline and review mechanisms.

According to data the NEC provided to a lawmaker's office, the ballot paper shortage left at least 90 voters unable to cast their ballots on June 3.

- Conspiracy theories -

The special investigation team told AFP that two election officials have been formally placed under investigation on suspicion of offences including falsifying official electronic records.

"We will examine whether the alleged manipulation extended beyond frontline staff and whether senior election officials were aware of or approved the actions," he said.

If the allegations are confirmed, it would mark the first known manipulation of the NEC's election statistics system.

Former president Yoon Suk Yeol -- now jailed and on trial for insurrection -- claimed after declaring martial law in 2024 that the NEC had ignored warnings about North Korean threats to voter data and failed to cooperate fully with intelligence agency inspections.

In the wake of the June polls, far-right groups in South Korea -- including some supporters of Yoon -- fanned long-running conspiracy theories alleging Chinese interference in the country's electoral system.

Their claims echo broader election conspiracy theories circulating worldwide.

Last week, US President Donald Trump amplified such claims, saying his country's electoral system had been dangerously exposed and that he would declassify intelligence that purportedly shows that China had illicitly acquired 220 million voter files.

Young university students have also joined the protests in South Korea, calling for a thorough investigation into the NEC and stronger protections for voters' rights.

D.Smith--NZN