The Election Commission Accepts Board of Audit Review Only for 'Preferential Hiring'... Rejects Full Audit (Comprehensive)

The National Election Commission decided on the 9th to undergo an audit by the Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) only regarding the 'allegations of preferential hiring of children' involving current and former executives.

No Tae-ak, Chairman of the National Election Commission, is leaving the building after a meeting held on the 9th at the Gwacheon National Election Commission.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the same day, after holding a committee meeting at the Gwacheon office in the afternoon, the Commission stated in a press release, "Because public suspicion regarding the preferential hiring of children of high-ranking executives is very strong, we have decided to undergo an audit by the BAI to promptly resolve these suspicions and focus on preparations for the upcoming general election."

The Commission reversed its stance just a week after unanimously rejecting the audit by the BAI on the 2nd, claiming it was not subject to such an audit.

However, the Commission maintained its previous position that "an audit by the executive branch's BAI on the Commission's inherent duties does not align with the constitutional spirit that defines the Commission as an independent constitutional institution." It added, "It is undesirable for the BAI and the Commission to appear to be in dispute over the scope of the audit on the Commission. To clarify this, we will file a constitutional dispute adjudication with the Constitutional Court, which holds the final authority on constitutional interpretation."

The Commission originally argues that it cannot be audited under the Constitution and the State Public Officials Act. The audit regarding the allegations of preferential hiring of children is an exception made in consideration of public opinion.

It is reported that the commissioners engaged in a heated debate over whether to accept the audit during the meeting. The meeting, which started at 2 p.m., lasted about four hours.

Although the Commission accepted a partial audit by the BAI, it seems unlikely that the ruling party's offensive will subside. The People Power Party insists that the Commission should undergo a full audit, not just a 'partial audit.' They emphasize that the audit should cover not only personnel matters but also overall operations.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.