Special Prosecutor for the Election Commission Appoints Lawyer Lee Tae-han Over the June 3 Ballot Paper Shortage Crisis

[26.08.19] Special Prosecutor for the Election Commission Appoints Lawyer Lee Tae-han Over the June 3 Ballot Paper Shortage Crisis

Attorney Lee Tae-han (60, 23rd class of the Judicial Research and Training Institute) was officially appointed on the 18th as the Special Counsel to investigate various allegations surrounding the National Election Commission (NEC), including the ballot shortage during the June 3 local elections. A former prosecutor, Special Counsel Lee took swift action immediately after his appointment, visiting the Joint Investigation Team and initiating the formation of the Special Counsel team to begin full-scale preparations for the investigation.

1. Who is Special Counsel Lee Tae-han... A Former Prosecutor, Human Rights, and Administrative Expert

Special Counsel Lee began his career as a prosecutor at the Daegu District Prosecutors' Office and later served as Chief of the Special Investigation Division at the Ulsan District Prosecutors' Office and Chief Prosecutor at the Seongnam Branch of the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office. After leaving the prosecution in 2013, he worked as an attorney. Since then, he has served as a Director of the Human Rights Foundation of the Korean Bar Association, Legal Advisor to the Korea Land & Housing Corporation (LH), and Member of the Prosecution Personnel Committee of the Ministry of Justice. Since May last year, he has also been serving as a non-standing commissioner of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission.

The selection process for the Special Counsel was as follows: The Korean Bar Association and the Korean Association of Law Schools recommended a total of 6 candidates. The National Recommendation Committee for the NEC narrowed the candidates down to two final nominees: Attorney Lee Tae-han and former Seoul High Prosecutors' Office prosecutor Lee Hyeok. President Lee Jae-myung appointed Attorney Lee Tae-han among them as the Special Counsel.

Special Counsel Lee officially began his duties on the 19th, the day after his appointment, upon receiving the relevant approval documents. His certificate of appointment is scheduled to be conferred electronically on the same day.

With a career encompassing prosecution experience alongside human rights and administrative expertise... As a Special Counsel launched through bipartisan agreement, expectations for political neutrality remain high.

2. Declaring the Principle of Investigation "Without Political Bias"

On the day of his appointment, Special Counsel Lee met with reporters at the Dongin Law Group office in Seocho-gu, Seoul. He stated his principle of uncovering the objective truth based strictly on facts and evidence, without reaching conclusions in advance or siding with any political faction. He also expressed his intent not to stop at uncovering past wrongdoing, but to thoroughly examine the structural and institutional problems within the election management process.

The scope of the investigation encompasses all major allegations surrounding the NEC, including the shortage of ballots during the June 3 local elections, alleged manipulation of real-time voter turnout counts, lavish overseas business trips, and procurement bidding corruptions for election supplies.

Regarding the allegations surrounding the NEC, Special Counsel Lee pointed out that "commonsense situations were left neglected for decades." He added that since this Special Counsel was launched by bipartisan agreement, he intends to present investigation results based strictly on facts and evidence so that no party can raise disputes.

Setting the protection of the public's right to vote as his top mission... He reiterated his commitment to withstand any external pressure.

3. Scope of the Special Counsel Investigation... From Ballot Shortages to Bidding Corruptions

The NEC Special Counsel team will conduct an all-out investigation into the ballot shortage incident during the June 3 local elections, poor election management practices, and internal corruption within the NEC. Specific investigation targets include the ballot shortage, alleged manipulation of real-time voter turnout numbers, lavish overseas trips, and corrupt bidding practices for election supply procurement.

Special Counsel Lee maintains that the team will not stop merely at exposing past misconduct. He stated that they will also examine the structural and institutional defects present in the election management process. These allegations had previously been investigated by the "Joint Prosecution-Police Investigation Team for the Truth-Finding on Infringements upon Public Voting Rights" (headed by Kim Tae-hoon, 3rd Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office), which was established last June. The materials collected by the Joint Investigation Team are scheduled to be handed over upon the official launch of the Special Counsel.

The Special Counsel's operation period will last up to 170 days. Following a 20-day preparation period for team composition, the main investigation will proceed for up to 150 days. The scale of the Special Counsel team can reach up to 165–166 members, including 5 Assistant Special Counsels, 20 dispatched prosecutors, and up to 70 dispatched public officials.

Comprehensive allegations spanning from voting management to budget execution... Whether structural problems across the NEC system can be uncovered is expected to determine the success of this Special Counsel.

4. Courtesy Visit to the Joint Investigation Team... Discussions on Dispatching Personnel and Digital Forensics

On the afternoon of the 19th, Special Counsel Lee paid a courtesy call on Kim Tae-hoon, Head of the Joint Investigation Team, at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office. During the roughly one-hour meeting, they discussed current investigation progress and the dispatch of personnel to the Special Counsel team. While it may be difficult to receive full staffing support due to internal personnel constraints at the Central District Prosecutors' Office and other prosecution bodies, he noted that cooperation requests were submitted within possible bounds. He anticipated that some support from the Public Investigation Division 2 would be achievable.

Special Counsel Lee emphasized that analyzing the secured data is far more critical than the seizure itself. To determine whether data was altered, deleted, or restored, he explained that it is necessary to widely utilize experts not only from the National Investigation Headquarters of the Korean National Police Agency but also from the Supreme Prosecutors' Office's Digital Forensics Center.

The key task is finalizing the size of dispatched personnel at an early date. Special Counsel Lee stated that once the number of personnel to be transferred from the Joint Investigation Team is specified, additional requests for supplementary personnel can be made to other bodies, such as the police. Regarding the internal reaction to dispatching staff within the Joint Investigation Team, he shared a positive atmosphere, noting, "A significant number of those present feel that way." The team plans to secure temporary office spaces as soon as the appointments of Assistant Special Counsels and the Operations Support Director are finalized.

Focusing on meticulous analysis of previously secured NEC servers and electronic logs... Securing digital forensics capabilities has emerged as a crucial variable in the investigation.

5. Full Preparations Underway... Reviewing Office Site Candidates and Requesting Cooperation from Prosecution and Police

Special Counsel Lee announced plans to sequentially pay courtesy visits to the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, the Korean National Police Agency, and the National Investigation Headquarters on the morning of the 19th, followed by a meeting with the President of the Seoul Bar Association next week. Official letters requesting the recommendation and recruitment of experts in specialized fields such as data forensics will be sent, along with formal requests to relevant agencies for the dispatch of prosecution and police investigative personnel.

Selection of the Operations Support Director, who will oversee administrative operations, is scheduled to be finalized within this week. Office locations in Gwanghwamun, Seocho-dong in Seoul, and the Gwacheon area in Gyeonggi Province are being evaluated as candidate sites for the Special Counsel team headquarters. Following a 20-day preparatory period, the main investigation will officially commence.

If necessary, the Special Counsel may request heads of relevant agencies to dispatch public officials within the limit of 20 dispatched prosecutors and up to 70 dispatched public officials. Ahead of the Special Counsel's launch, the Joint Investigation Team formed last June is finalizing scheduled investigations while preparing to hand over collected evidence, interrogation records, and other case files to the Special Counsel.

Category	Detailed Information
Special Counsel Appointment	Attorney Lee Tae-han (60, 23rd class of Judicial Research and Training Institute), appointed August 18, former prosecutor
Scope of Investigation	Ballot shortage, voter count manipulation allegations, lavish overseas trips, supply procurement bidding corruption, etc.
Term of Operation	Up to 170 days total, including a 20-day preparation period (main investigation up to 150 days)
Team Scale	Up to 165–166 members, including 5 Assistant Special Counsels and 20 dispatched prosecutors
Early Steps	Courtesy visit to Joint Investigation Team (Aug 19); sequential visits to Supreme Prosecutors' Office, KNPA, and NIH planned
Investigation Focus	Verifying alteration or deletion of NEC server data and digital records; strengthening digital forensics

[Summary] 5 Core Pillars of the NEC Special Counsel Lee Tae-han

• 1. Appointment of a Former-Prosecutor Special Counsel: President Lee Jae-myung appointed Attorney Lee Tae-han as the Special Counsel for the NEC on August 18.
• 2. Declaration of Political Neutrality: He stated that the investigation will be conducted strictly based on facts without bias toward any political side.
• 3. 4 Key Allegation Categories: Full-scale investigation covering ballot shortages, turnout count manipulation, lavish trips, and supply procurement bidding corruptions.
• 4. Visit to Joint Investigation Team & Staffing Discussions: Met with Joint Investigation Team Leader Kim Tae-hoon to discuss personnel dispatch and investigation status.
• 5. 20-Day Preparation Period: Following office setup and team selection during the preparation period, a main investigation lasting up to 150 days will proceed.

Related Tags: NEC Special Counsel, Special Counsel Lee Tae-han, June 3 Local Elections, Ballot Shortage, Joint Investigation Team, Digital Forensics, Public Voting Rights