NEC: Employee subjected to late-night questioning; special prosecutor: Interrogation ended at 8:55 p.m.

Special Prosecutor Lee Tae-han. [Yonhap]
Special Prosecutor Lee Tae-han. [Yonhap]

The special prosecution team investigating the National Election Commission — including allegations surrounding a ballot shortage during the June 3 local elections — said Wednesday it "expresses condolences for the passing of a National Election Commission civil servant and regrets the NEC's statement, which does not reflect the facts."

In a press notice issued Wednesday afternoon, the team said it "sincerely prays for the repose of the deceased NEC civil servant and extends deep condolences to the bereaved family." Earlier that day, a man in his 40s identified only as A, an NEC employee, was found dead in a flower bed outside an apartment complex in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province. He had appeared before the special prosecution team as a suspect on Tuesday and later died by suicide.

The NEC issued a statement Wednesday afternoon saying "an employee who had been subjected to a suspect interrogation by the special prosecution until late at night on Tuesday passed away this morning," and offered condolences to the deceased and his family. It added that "despite the NEC's sincere and transparent cooperation with the special prosecution's investigative procedures, including search and seizure operations, it is deeply regrettable that our employee suffered extreme psychological distress from the continued investigation and lost his precious life."

The special prosecution team rebuffed the statement, saying the NEC had claimed the employee "suffered extreme psychological distress from the continued investigation" and had been "subjected to a suspect interrogation until late at night on Tuesday" — characterizations it said were false.

The team said the deceased "was questioned only once throughout the entire joint investigation by the prosecution-police task force and the NEC special prosecution, and that was on Tuesday." The questioning was conducted with a defense attorney present from start to finish, and ended at around 8:55 p.m. at the suspect's own request to avoid a nighttime session. The team added that the questioning began at around 10 a.m. and ran until around 8:55 p.m., with five breaks totaling three hours and 20 minutes — including lunch and dinner — leaving an actual questioning time of seven hours and 35 minutes.

The team further rebuffed the NEC's account, saying "contrary to the NEC's statement, no late-night questioning took place," and that after the session ended, the deceased spent one hour and 45 minutes reviewing the written record and personally made handwritten corrections to more than 40 responses. "There was no coercive atmosphere at any point during the entire questioning process, and no objections were raised regarding the questioning or the contents of the written record," it said.

The team said it "regrets the NEC's statement, which does not reflect the facts," and vowed to continue its investigation in compliance with human rights protection laws while working to uncover the full range of alleged irregularities and misconduct at the NEC and clearly establish accountability.

If you're thinking about self-harm or suicide, dial the Suicide Prevention Hotline at 109, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Please request a translator for English-language services.


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