"To prove to the public that it is not an agency capable of manipulating vote counts, the National Election Commission (NEC) must move beyond mere excuses. It must open up everything—including the operational status of its main servers and networks, the operation of electronic counting machines, all log records, the postal transport process for early voting ballots, and the storage status of early voting boxes—and submit to a special prosecutor's investigation." [Photo=Yonhap News]

Given the behavior the NEC has displayed thus far, it is certainly not an organization that would say, "We were wrong, please punish us." These are people who will hold out until the very end; they see it as fortunate if they are not caught, and since they know they would face severe penalties if discovered, they are determined to hide the truth at all costs.

A National Assembly-level parliamentary audit to investigate the shortage of ballots that occurred during the June 3 local elections has been underway from June 18 to August 1. A month has already passed, with only about two weeks remaining. As the proceedings have already been reported to some extent through the media and YouTube, I will not repeat them here.

However, even if the primary purpose of this parliamentary audit is limited to determining why there was a shortage of ballots, the focus of any investigation into the NEC must ultimately center on "how the election was manipulated."

The fact that the NEC prevented access to log files during the recount for the Chungju mayoral election alone makes the public suspicious. This is why the theory that judges and the NEC are in collusion has gained traction.

Looking at the investigations conducted so far, while they have unearthed many issues—such as the problem of non-competitive bidding accounting for nearly 90% of contracts, staff taking overseas trips under the guise of work, and former NEC Chairman Roh Tae-ak’s overseas trips with his spouse—they have bypassed the core of the issue.

This parliamentary audit has only reinforced the justification for a special prosecutor's investigation. Issues such as the recount at the Olympic Park Handball Gymnasium are not matters that should be handled superficially by a special parliamentary committee.

Through a special prosecutor with investigative authority, it is necessary to not only check the number of voters, ballots, and remaining ballots but also to conduct a precise forensic examination beyond mere manual counting. We must also verify whether there were ballots for the Seoul mayoral election that only had two names printed on them. Many voters have claimed they cast ballots that only had two candidates listed. If even one such ballot is found, the election must be declared null and void.

Continuing as they did during the Chungju mayoral recount will only fuel more suspicion.

To prove to the public that it is not an agency capable of manipulating vote counts, the NEC must move beyond mere excuses. It must open up everything—including the operational status of its main servers and networks, the operation of electronic counting machines, all log records, the postal transport process for early voting ballots, and the storage status of early voting boxes—and submit to a special prosecutor's investigation.

The only way for the NEC to make the public believe there was no manipulation during the voting and counting process is to disclose all data and submit to an investigation by a group of experts. If this issue is addressed clearly, some internal administrative shortcomings could perhaps be overlooked.

The problem is that election analysis experts are claiming that even in these local elections, the outcomes were reversed in 8 gubernatorial races and 6 education superintendent races. This is not a matter that can simply be ignored.

Even many citizens who believed the claims of some leftist commentators—who asked, "What kind of world do we live in where election fraud could occur in broad daylight?"—have come to believe that something is definitely wrong following the December 3 martial law incident.

Isn't that why, for over a month and a half, countless young people have been calling for re-elections for fraudulent voting and manual counting of on-the-day ballots across the country, including at Olympic Park? I see the current ballot shortage as a heaven-sent opportunity to rectify election fraud.

Many citizens believe the NEC committed election fraud. If that is not the case, the NEC should take proactive steps now to clear its name.

I hope they will confidently step forward and declare their willingness to accept any special prosecutor's investigation. It is maddening for an individual to be falsely accused; for the NEC, which prides itself on being a constitutional institution, to be under such a cloud of suspicion is having a devastating impact on our national prestige.

If we abolished the early voting system—which is criticized for being "prone to suspicion of fraud"—and returned to manual counting at the polling station, just like in Taiwan or in elementary school class president elections, who would dare contest the results?

Before asking people to trust them, I hope the NEC will step forward first and declare that they will accept any special prosecutor’s investigation if they are truly confident. That is the only path for the NEC to survive.

This time, the public will not allow this to be swept under the rug. I urge the NEC to make a wise decision.

◆ Dr. Kim Jae-soo

Ph.D. in Informatics, current Chairman of the National Foundation Light. Former Headquarters Director of the Agency for Defense Development, former Adjunct Professor at Kyonggi University, former Co-Standing Representative of the National Movement for the Abolition of Privileges, and former 5th and 6th President of the Republic of Korea ROTC Patriotic Comrades Association.