What did investigators allege about the NEC’s selection of the ballot-machine supplier?

The special counsel team said it found evidence suggesting the NEC gave the unnamed company advance information about a bid to supply early voting ballot issuing machines. Investigators also suspect the NEC revised internal guidelines to require local commissions to buy ink and other supplies from the company.

How much business did the selected company receive from the NEC and local election commissions?

The company supplied around 17,000 ballot issuing machines under a 32.1 billion-won project. It also supplied 13.8 billion won worth of ink and other supplies to local commissions from December 2023 through July 2026.

How does the ballot-printer investigation fit into the special counsel’s broader NEC probe?

The team, led by special counsel Lee Tae-han, was launched in early September to look mainly into the causes of ballot shortages during June’s nationwide local elections, while also investigating other suspected NEC irregularities. It had searched the commission earlier in the week over alleged illegal monthly allowances for commissioners.

Special counsel raids NEC headquarters over alleged bid rigging

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Summary

A special counsel team raided the National Election Commission headquarters in Gwacheon, just south of Seoul, Wednesday, over alleged preferential treatment in selecting a maker of early voting ballot issuing machines. Investigators said the NEC may have provided the company advance bid information and changed internal guidelines requiring local commissions to buy its ink and other supplies. The company supplied about 17,000 machines in a 32.1 billion-won project and 13.8 billion won in supplies between December 2023 and July 2026. The investigation is part of a broader probe into NEC irregularities and June’s ballot shortages.

Key Facts

Thirty-two personnel, including two prosecutors, searched an NEC division, the company’s office and its factory.
The machine contract was the largest project commissioned by the NEC in the past five years, according to the special counsel team.
The special counsel team was launched in early September to investigate mainly the causes of unprecedented ballot shortages during June’s nationwide local elections.
On Monday and Tuesday, investigators searched the NEC over suspicions that it illegally paid commissioners monthly allowances.

By Yonhap

Published Nov 4, 2026 11:13 am KST

Special counsel Lee Tae-han's team conducts a raid on the National Election Commission (NEC) headquarters in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, Oct. 21. Yonhap

Investigators raided the National Election Commission (NEC) headquarters Wednesday over allegations of preferential treatment in choosing a ballot printer maker, a special counsel team said.

Thirty-two personnel, including two prosecutors, were mobilized to search a division of the NEC at its headquarters in Gwacheon, just south of Seoul, and the office and factory of the company in question, according to the team led by special counsel Lee Tae-han.

The team said it found evidence suggesting the election watchdog gave preferential treatment to the unnamed company by providing advance information on a bid to select a maker of early voting ballot issuing machines.

The NEC is also suspected of revising its internal guidelines to require all local election commissions to purchase ink and other supplies from the chosen company.

As a result, the company supplied around 17,000 ballot issuing machines to the commissions in a 32.1 billion-won ($24 million) project, the biggest commissioned by the NEC in the past five years, according to the independent counsel team.

The company also supplied 13.8 billion won worth of ink and other supplies to the commissions between December 2023 and July 2026, it said.

Lee's team has been investigating various suspected irregularities involving the NEC after it was launched in early September to look mainly into what led to the unprecedented ballot shortages in June's nationwide local elections.

On Monday and Tuesday, the team searched the NEC over suspicions the election watchdog illegally paid commissioners monthly allowances.

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