NEC special prosecutor raids election agency over early-voting machine contract allegations

The special prosecutor investigating allegations of misconduct at the National Election Commission — including a ballot shortage that emerged during the June 3 local elections — launched a forced investigation Wednesday into suspicions that the NEC gave preferential treatment to a specific company in contracts to manufacture early-voting ballot printers and purchase consumables.

The special prosecutor's team said it began executing search and seizure warrants on charges of breach of trust at around 9 a.m., deploying a total of 32 personnel — including two seconded prosecutors and 10 digital forensics investigators — at the NEC's Election Infrastructure Division in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, as well as at the company's office and factory.

The team said it had identified circumstances suggesting the NEC granted preferential treatment to a specific company in contractor selection and consumables supply for the 2024-model early-voting ballot printer manufacturing and consumables procurement project, based on its own investigation and reference materials forwarded by the Board of Audit and Inspection.

According to the special prosecutor's assessment, the NEC leaked its business plan to the company before issuing a public tender. After a performance evaluation, the company allegedly modified the ballot printers without authorization so they would only recognize ink it manufactured — a violation of the contract — and the NEC turned a blind eye.

The team also suspects the NEC changed its internal guidelines to require election commissions nationwide to purchase consumables such as ink — items that were supposed to be sourced from small businesses or small merchants — exclusively from that company through negotiated contracts. The team said it had confirmed circumstances suggesting the NEC created a "monopolistic supply structure" that allowed the company to sell not only the ballot printers but also consumables such as ink throughout the printers' 10-year service life.

The early-voting ballot printer manufacturing project involves supplying approximately 17,000 printers to election commissions across the country. The manufacturing contract alone is valued at about 32.1 billion won ($23.9 million), making it the largest project the NEC has commissioned in the past five years. The special prosecutor's team estimates the company exclusively supplied consumables — including ink and maintenance kits — to election commissions nationwide from around December 2023 through July this year, with total sales amounting to 13.8 billion won.

"Based on analysis of the seized materials, we will do our utmost to determine whether NEC civil servants responsible for the early-voting ballot printer manufacturing and consumables procurement colluded with a specific company to provide undue preferential treatment, and to uncover the full extent of the damage caused to the state and establish accountability," a member of the special prosecutor's team said.