Key election watchdog official offers to resign over poor management

National Election Commission Secretary-General Kim Se-hwan / Korea Times file

A key official at the National Election Commission (NEC) offered to resign Wednesday to take responsibility for mishandling ballots of COVID-19 patients and other blunders during early voting for last week's presidential election, according to NEC officials.

In an e-mail sent to employees, NEC Secretary-General Kim Se-hwan made the resignation public and offered a deep apology for the blunders in early voting.

"As secretary-general, I deeply apologize for the poor management of the early voting," Kim said in the e-mail.

The NEC came under fire following revelations virus patients and people under self-isolation were not allowed to put their votes into ballot boxes, and election officials instead collected them in plastic bags and other unofficial containers during early voting May 5.

The practice sparked suspicions of election rigging, though the NEC has flatly rejected such claims. (Yonhap)