National Election Commission dismisses election challenges amid ongoing investigations

The National Election Commission (NEC) has dismissed 261 election invalidity and invalidity of election claims related to the June 3 local elections, including 112 dismissals and 149 rejections. Regarding claims filed by the People Power Party concerning the Seoul mayoral election, the NEC stated that while violations of election regulations occurred in some polling stations due to ballot shortages and voting interruptions, these incidents did not influence the final election results.

Simultaneously, a joint investigation team is accelerating its probe ahead of the launch of a special prosecutor. The investigation covers several issues, including ballot shortages, allegations of voter turnout manipulation, suspicious overseas travel by former NEC Chairman Noh Tae-ak, and recruitment irregularities. Investigators have summoned the secretary-general of the Gangnam-gu Election Commission as a suspect and are questioning NEC officials regarding discrepancies in voter counts. The investigation team aims to finalize its current findings to transfer the case to the special prosecutor, who is expected to be appointed following the selection of candidates by the special prosecutor candidate recommendation committee.