People Power Party lawmaker Yoon Sang-hyun [Yonhap]
People Power Party lawmaker Yoon Sang-hyun [Yonhap]

People Power Party lawmaker Yoon Sang-hyun called on the newly launched special prosecutor's team led by Lee Tae-han to uncover the truth "through facts and evidence alone" as it begins investigating allegations surrounding the National Election Commission, including the ballot shortage during the June 3 local elections.

Writing on his Facebook page Monday, Yoon said the investigation and verification process and its findings should be "made as transparent as possible so the public can accept them."

Yoon, who served as chairman of the National Assembly's special parliamentary investigation committee on the NEC, said he had proposed a public recount of 2.47 million ballots stored at the Songpa Handball Gymnasium and a recount in Incheon's Songdo 1-dong and Songdo 2-dong, where a "twin vote tally" controversy had emerged — but was ultimately unable to make either happen. "Even now, I feel regret and a heavy sense of responsibility," he said.

He added that he had not stopped pursuing the truth even after the parliamentary investigation concluded, saying he had formally written to the special prosecutor's office requesting an independent and objective investigation into matters that could not be fully verified during the inquiry.

Yoon said the special prosecutor must thoroughly determine why ballots ran short during the June 3 local elections, whether the process of lowering the minimum ballot printing standard was lawful, and what lies behind the allegations of false voter turnout entries. "If necessary, all relevant digital records, including server logs, must also be examined thoroughly," he said.

He also said it was time to reach a conclusion on whether there had been intentional, premeditated and organized manipulation of voting and vote-counting — comparable to the rigged March 15 election — or whether poor election administration and administrative errors had snowballed into allegations of electoral fraud.

Yoon said public concerns about the election should not be dismissed with a single word — "conspiracy theory" — but that unverified allegations should equally not be treated as established fact and exploited politically to stoke public anxiety and anger. "Those who demand verification must have the courage to accept its results," he said.

He added that if fraud was found, it must be exposed and those responsible held accountable. Conversely, if a thorough investigation concluded that no organized electoral fraud had taken place, those who had treated unverified allegations as fact and fueled public distrust and anger would also have to answer for that outcome.

"I look forward to a thorough and no-holds-barred investigation by Special Prosecutor Lee Tae-han," he said. The special prosecutor's team is investigating allegations that the NEC's ballot shortage infringed on citizens' right to vote, as well as alleged data entry errors in the election management system and manipulation of election statistics, including vote tallies.


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