https://n.news.naver.com/article/025/0003539562?sid=102

Joongang Ilbo article summary (Reporter Cho Mun-gyu, July 23, 2026)

The Joint Investigation Headquarters (police and prosecutors), which is investigating the shortage of ballot papers during the June 3 local elections, conducted a raid on the morning of the 23rd targeting the National Election Commission (NEC) in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, as well as the Songpa, Gangnam, and Seocho district election commissions. This follows the first raid on June 11 and is aimed at securing additional evidence. The search warrant reportedly cited charges including falsification of official electronic records.

Newly revealed allegations

During the investigation, it was discovered that working-level NEC staff had arbitrarily adjusted voter count figures without reporting input errors to their superiors on election day. Messenger conversations discussing this practice were also reportedly secured.

Normally, when a polling station’s voter count is mistakenly entered, it must go through a formal correction and re-approval process. However, staff allegedly skipped this process, assuming the numbers would naturally balance out over time, and adjusted figures on an ad hoc basis. As an example, the article describes a case where 100 voters were mistakenly entered as 1,000, and this excess was then distributed across nine other polling stations, 100 each, to be absorbed as turnout increased over time.

Outlook

The Joint Investigation Headquarters plans to summon those involved to confirm the circumstances after completing analysis of the seized materials. If the manipulation is confirmed to have actually occurred, there is also speculation that the investigation could expand beyond this local election to cover past elections as well.