When the National Election Commission is run like a family business

log date: 2025-12-14

May 2023, personnel corruption in the hiring of 11 high-ranking officials at the National Election Commission (NEC), including hereditary hiring practices, was revealed.

In a flash, then-NEC Chairman Tae-ahk Noh (노태악) announced an internal investigation, and then-Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission Chairperson Hyun-hee Jeon (전현희) hastily announced an investigation plan without any internal discussion.

However, this was merely a formality, and the NEC concluded its internal audit by exonerating the alleged hiring irregularities.

The NEC even attempted to ensure that several officials exposed for corruption submitted their resignations before disciplinary proceedings began, thereby preventing them from being disadvantaged in their reappointment or pension plans.

"This case was uncovered during a compliance audit of NEC employees conducted by the Board of Audit and Inspection. Employee A from Gahngwon Election Commission went on a trip to Japan in July 2015 and returned 11 days later. Although his absence was unauthorized, the entire trip was recorded as regular work. He also converted 25 days of already-used annual leave to "sick leave" so that he could use paid sick days as vacation leave. This conversion also qualifies him for monthly pay. He reportedly pocketed 38 million won in this manner." Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cs0FGBWL7Vk

   

The NEC has abused its independent status to commit corruption and refuse audits by the BAI.
Reported by Ye-seul Hyun, KBS News source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cs0FGBWL7Vk  

December 3, 2024, former President Yoon Seok-yeol declared martial law, which was lifted just six hours after its declaration. The National Assembly passed a second impeachment motion, citing the illegality of the martial law declaration, and President Yoon was suspended from office on December 14, 2024.

The eight Constitutional Court justices reviewed the impeachment motion against President Yoon and upheld it, leading to his removal from office on April 4, 2025.

High-ranking officials from the previous administration are being indicted on charges relevant to the Crime Concerning Insurrection (Article 87-91, Criminal Act) and are also in the process of proving their innocence in court through evidence and testimony.

The defense argues that the declaration of martial law was lawful and that there was no intent to create a violence concerning insurrection.

Witnesses questioned by the special prosecutors testified about the process from the declaration of martial law to the impeachment of the president, and appeared in court to correct misinformation spread among the public. The military leaders also expressed discontent with the public misunderstanding exaggerated by the media. 

"The explanation given by the National Election Commission (NEC) is that traditionally, the NEC is indeed run like a family business. And while investigating that, the Secretary-General of NEC submitted his laptop and mobile phone completely wiped clean. Does this not correspond to evidence destruction?" Attorney Jimmy Gihm (김지미) defending former Minister of National Defense asked in open court.  Source:  https://www.youtube.com/shorts/sjlbU1s03ac 

Former Minister of National Defense Yong-hyun Gihm (김용현) has been indicted on charges related to the Crime Concerning Insurrection (Article 87-91, Criminal Act) and one of the defense lawyers Jimmy Gihm (김지미) argued in open court that the charges should be dismissed based on the following quotes:

    "At that time, the opposition party, the Democratic Party of Korea, drastically cut various budgets, including disaster response reserves during the 2025 budget review process. President Yoon, Suk-yeol described it as budget reductions that undermines the essential functions of the state. In reality, drastically cutting budgets in areas directly related to the lives of citizens, such as health care, drugs, and national energy security, can only be evaluated as a behaviour that takes governance hostage rather than a subject of negotiation."

"Your Honor, you are probably aware of this fact. Last year, the President's operational funds for special purposes, which was completely cut by the National Assembly, was 8.2 billion won. However, when the incumbent President Lee, who had cut President Yoon's special operational fund last year, requested it back this year, it was re-allocated to 9.17 billion won, a roughly 10 percent increase from the previous amount."

    "One of the key reasons the President had no choice but to declare a state of emergency was the corruption in the National Election Commission (NEC) and the collapse of trust in the election management process."

KBS News reporting revealed that NEC officials were asking each other to hire their children.
Reported by Ye-seul Hyun, KBS News on 2025. 2. 27
source:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PR9PmUZOyoA

Former NEC official Bong-seob Song (송봉섭) recommended his daughter to hiring staff, "I'm not saying this because she's my daughter, but I recommend her because she is a truly good."

    "The NEC official indicates that a customized hiring process took place. Reports that an employee was promoted to level 7 in a short period and even earned the nickname ‘Prince’ clearly show that the fairness within the Election Commission has been seriously compromised." added Attorney Gihm.

The captured footage shows that while NEC senior executive Se-hwan Gihm (김세환) was serving as Secretary General, his son was promoted at breakneck speed. This remarkably rapid promotion, uncommon in the Korean public service, reveals personnel corruption. (source: KBS News)

Former NEC Secretary-General Se-hwan Gihm (김세환) appeared for a warrant hearing
on November 2024, photo by Yonhap News.

    "According to reports, the NEC's main system passwords were set to "1-2-3-4-5", and concerns were raised that the voting and vote counting process could be manipulated through hacking attacks due to insufficient separation between internal and external networks and the use of outdated equipment."

"Even after these vulnerabilities were revealed, the NEC attempted to downplay and conceal the cybersecurity issues, rapidly spreading public distrust of the election management system."

    "Moreover, during the Board of Audit and Inspection's audit of recruitment irregularities and organizational operations, it was revealed that key executives had deleted data from their mobile phones and laptops. This can be seen as a criminal act of obstruction of official duties, dereliction of duty, and abuse of power committed by the election management body and its staff, and as a violation of the constitutional duty to maintain neutrality and independence."

    "Nevertheless, the NEC strongly opposed the Board of Audit and Inspection’s audit of its duties, arguing that it was "an independent body under the Constitution and therefore not subject to audit," and filed a dispute over authority. When the Constitutional Court upheld this, the majority party in the National Assembly attempted to weaken the Board of Audit and Inspection's auditing function by impeaching the Chairman and amending the Board of Audit and Inspection Act."

Attorney Jimmy Gihm added, "All the above demonstrates that the national election management body fails to adhere to even the bare minimum of public ethics and internal discipline. In addition to issues with recruitment and personal corruption, the vulnerabilities in the election computer system were also revealed to be very serious."

Cases of family-related hiring have been confirmed to be more numerous than previously reported. While only a small number of current and former employees were surveyed, one in five were family members. The NEC reportedly requested an investigation into the 11 individuals who were favorably hired and were to audit their employment to determine whether their appointments to be revoked.
By Reporter Ye-seul Hyun for Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) News
source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Td_YQasDS8s

Attorney Young-il Goh (고영일), one of the lawyers for former Minister of National Defense, cross-examining a witness who claims that issues of election fraud are to be dealt in the private sector.
 source: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/QJ_Z7qRbkTc

    "There is a lawsuit regarding election fraud issues raised in relation to the April 15 General Election in 2020. The party filing the lawsuit requested preservation of evidence. Specifically, all ballots from 9 districts were requested to be preserved. However, the Supreme Court, which had neglected the case for three and a half years, dismissed the lawsuit without even opening or verifying the ballots in subject." added Attorney Young-il Goh (고영일) cross-examining a witness who testified as if biased and subjective information were factual.

The relevant law stipulates that a ruling must be made within 180 days. The Supreme Court's delay in hearing this case for three and a half years constitutes a deliberate delay and is therefore unlawful.

KBS News: Cheol-hoon Huh, former NEC official said 21 cases, including 11 cases already reported in the media, involved employees and their family members hired through preferential selection process.

The NEC high-ranking officials in South Korea. KBS News

Institutional Failure

The various corruptions, security vulnerabilities, and strong resistance to audits and control efforts revealed by the National Election Commission and the Local Election Commission at the time went beyond mere suspicion and led to a serious constitutional crisis that fundamentally undermined trust in the entire election management system in South Korea.

There have been numerous cases where employees attended graduate school or studied for certifications during work hours, and even traveled for extended periods without permission, which would be unimaginable in the general public sector.

Even a case that NEC officials created non-existent positions to secure employment for their family members was revealed after another hiring scandal where officials gave perfect scores in interviews to secure job opportunities for those children of NEC officials.

Cases that interview scores were manipulated to allow children of NEC employees to pass the selection process, reported by Ye-seul Hyun, KBS News.

The Board of Audit and Inspection's audit report revealed that NEC officials, from high-ranking to mid-level officials, frequently solicited the employment of their own family members, and that personnel and hiring managers employed various illegal and unlawful methods.

In particular, during this audit, a person involved in preferential hiring responded, "Since the past, the NEC has had a tradition of hiring family members to ensure only trustworthy candidates for senior positions." 

The trust he spoke of apparently required somebody who wouldn't reveal the corruption and misconduct committed by the entire NEC.

The NEC officials claim, "The NEC has been run like a family business. Even if there was corruption in the hiring process, wouldn't it be okay as long as the elections were conducted properly?"

The hiring staff B was asked to pass 5 people including A's child.

In Open Court

Key testimonies regarding the NEC's alleged fraudulent practices poured out in open court. Even after testimony was given in the National Assembly in February and articles in details were published, as of the end of 2025, the corruption surrounding the NEC remains largely unresolved.

No lawmakers are attempting to rectify the results of past elections marked by fraud. The National Election Commission and the National Assembly, the primary perpetrators of the fraudulent practices, are attempting to push ahead with next year's local elections without amending the Public Official Election Act, which is riddled with loopholes. 

Unless the electoral system is reformed, fraudulent practices will inevitably persist, and voters' votes will have no influence in determining the outcome.

Jin-gyoung Gihm (김진경), Manager of the Bureau of Audit and Inspection, said, "NEC's personnel management laws and standards had many loopholes, and the relevant authorities were aware of them but failed to correct hiring irregularities that gave preferential treatment to family members."

The audit found 880 violations of regulations including the hiring-related ones over the past 10 years.

The NEC's claim that it is a constitutional body and therefore not subject to audit is absurd and a mere rhetoric intended to deceive the public. As a constitutional body, it deserves even more thorough auditing, and all systems managed by the NEC, including the voters list must be transparently disclosed.

The National Election Commission (NEC) is the core of our democratic system, and an election system lacking integrity and transparency destroys democracy.