▲ Lee Sang-hwi, Chairman of the People Power Party Media Special Committee
The Media Special Committee and the Media Legal Team of the People Power Party (PPP) announced on June 16 that they will file a criminal complaint against officials from the National Election Commission (NEC) for professional embezzlement, following reports that they took trips to vacation spots such as the Maldives under the guise of official business.
The PPP Media Special Committee stated, "It has been revealed that NEC officials visited world-renowned vacation spots including the Maldives, Kota Kinabalu, and Bangkok under the pretext of inspecting overseas voting and conducting research on election systems." They added, "This is a case strongly suspected of professional embezzlement, as taxpayer money was used for purposes unrelated to its original intent."
Citing media reports, the committee criticized the officials, saying, "NEC employees stayed for three nights and four days in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, where there are only about 120 registered voters. Even though the 'overseas election inspection' work was completed in just half a day, the rest of the schedule was left blank."
The committee also criticized the 'Overseas Election Officer' system, in which officials stay abroad with diplomatic status for a year, receiving six-figure salaries and housing support for luxury residences, all for an overseas election that lasts only six days.
"As the NEC has lost the ability to reform itself, it is now time for investigative agencies to conduct a thorough probe to clarify where the responsibility lies," the committee said, adding that they plan to submit the complaint today, June 17.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.