People Power Party lawmaker Kim Eun-hye sharply pressed the Ministry of National Defense on Wednesday over its delayed submission of documents and allegations that it had downplayed the number of absentee ballot irregularities involving military personnel — after the ministry initially reported one incident to a parliamentary investigation but later confirmed 39 in a comprehensive probe.
Speaking at the National Assembly's parliamentary investigation special committee, Kim said the ministry had still not handed over documents despite being asked to do so. "We requested the materials, and they still have not been submitted," she said.
In a procedural statement, Kim said false testimony had continued to emerge throughout the hearing. "Even based only on the first-round probe, 39 service members were unable to cast their votes — and the Defense Ministry still has not submitted the materials. What are they hiding?" she said.
She then drew a connection to earlier controversy surrounding the ministry. "The Defense Ministry concealed military service records under a minister facing desertion allegations, and now they are hiding this too," Kim said. "How can the public put to rest their distrust of the entire voting, vote-counting and election management process?"
The ministry had told the parliamentary investigation in its institutional report that there had been one voting incident within the military — a case of double voting at an Army General Outpost unit. A subsequent comprehensive probe across all branches, however, turned up 39 similar cases, including address entry errors, missing registration forms and postal delivery problems.
The Defense Ministry holds that a significant number of those cases do not constitute violations of voting rights, as the votes in question were ultimately cast without issue.
The opposition, however, sharply criticized the ministry over both the reduced scope of its initial report and the delay in submitting documents.
Special committee chairman Yoon Sang-hyun also pressed Kim Seong-jun, the ministry's director general for personnel and welfare, on the delay. "Why have the materials still not been submitted?" Yoon asked.
Kim said the ministry had conducted a comprehensive probe and was in the process of verifying the facts. "We will report as soon as the findings are compiled," he said.
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