Roh Tae-ak, former Chairperson of the National Election Commission [Photo=Yonhap News file]It has been confirmed that former National Election Commission (NEC) Chairperson Roh Tae-ak has returned 47,438,900 KRW in travel expenses for his spouse to the national treasury, following his use of NEC funds to cover his spouse's expenses during three overseas official trips during his tenure.

According to political circles and the NEC on the 21st, former Chairperson Roh paid the 47,438,900 KRW, an amount calculated by the NEC as the cost of his spouse's accompanying travel, into the national treasury. However, the specific date of payment has not been publicly confirmed.

The returned funds cover expenses incurred for his spouse during trips to Australia and New Zealand in December 2022, Germany and Estonia in November 2024, and Denmark and Sweden in November 2025.

During a plenary session of the National Assembly's Special Committee on State Investigation held on the 1st, former Chairperson Roh stated regarding his spouse's travel expenses that he would "either return them to the national treasury or contribute them to society through an appropriate method."

At the time, former Chairperson Roh estimated that his spouse's airfare for the three trips totaled approximately 33 million KRW, and added that he would confirm costs such as lodging and meals after receiving relevant data. The final amount returned is 14,438,900 KRW higher than the airfare figure he previously disclosed.

On the 20th, a day before the confirmation of the return, the Joint Investigation Team of the prosecution and police conducted a search and seizure of the NEC Chairperson's office in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, as well as the commission's budget-related departments.

It is reported that the search and seizure warrant named former Chairperson Roh and unnamed NEC officials as suspects in a case of occupational embezzlement. The residence of former Chairperson Roh and his spouse were not included in the scope of the search.

Through this search and seizure, the Joint Investigation Team is reported to have secured materials to verify the decision-making process behind the spouse's inclusion in the trips, the details of how the budget was allocated and approved, and whether the spouse performed any official roles during the travel.

Former Chairperson Roh was accompanied by his spouse on all three overseas trips taken during his tenure as NEC Chairperson. While the spouse's airfare, lodging, and other expenses were paid for using NEC funds, the post-trip reports released to the public by the NEC did not mention the fact that his spouse had accompanied him.

The NEC maintains that the spouse's expenses were included in the travel budget in consideration of the protocol and status befitting the head of a constitutional institution. Conversely, the People Power Party filed a complaint against former Chairperson Roh and relevant NEC officials for occupational embezzlement, arguing that the taxpayer-funded coverage of travel expenses for a spouse lacking an official, necessary function is improper.

Based on the analysis of the seized evidence, the Joint Investigation Team plans to question those involved in the approval of the trips and the execution of the budget. Regardless of the return of the funds to the national treasury, the core focus of the investigation will be whether there was a legal basis for the initial budget execution and whether criminal charges can be brought against those involved.