[사건현장] 선관위 압수수색….'투표지 부족' 수사 속도 / 연합뉴스TV (YonhapnewsTV)

[Guest: Attorney Lim Ju-hye] As the fallout from the ballot shortage enters its eighth day, the Joint Investigation Headquarters of the Prosecutors and Police launched simultaneous search and seizure operations at seven locations, including the National Election Commission (NEC) and regional election commissions. We will examine the key issues for the future of the investigation. Meanwhile, as allegations of preferential treatment regarding the imprisonment of former President Yoon Suk-yeol persist, the Ministry of Justice has publicly revealed the interior of a solitary cell at the Seoul Detention Center for the first time to refute them. We will discuss related incidents and news with Attorney Lim Ju-hye. [Question 1] At 9 a.m. today, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Metropolitan Crime Investigation Unit launched search and seizure operations at a total of seven election commission offices. The deployment involved approximately 110 personnel, and the warrant named about 10 individuals as suspects, including former NEC Chairman Roh Tae-ak and former Secretary-General Heo Cheol-hoon. Given this scale, at what stage is the current investigation considered to have progressed? [Question 1-1] Isn't the National Election Commission classified as an independent body under the Constitution? We should also examine whether the status of an independent body implies protection from actions such as search and seizure by investigative agencies. [Question 1-2] Notably, this search and seizure warrant specifies not only charges of violating election laws but also charges of dereliction of duty, embezzlement, and breach of trust. Is the inclusion of such multiple charges a signal that they are considering the possibility of criminal liability rather than simply an administrative error? [Question 1-3] However, the most notable aspect is the charge of embezzlement and breach of trust. At first glance, the ballot shortage crisis does not appear to be directly connected to embezzlement and breach of trust. Given that the investigative agency specified these charges in the warrant, what specific aspects do you suspect? [Question 2] However, the Joint Investigation Headquarters launched the search and seizure eight days after the incident first surfaced. Yesterday, the court visited the polling station in Jamsil 7-dong to conduct an on-site verification, but the ballot storage boxes the court was looking for had already disappeared, hadn't they? In that regard, there are concerns that this search and seizure was also conducted too late. [Question 3] The Songpa-gu Election Commission, which was one of the targets of today's search and seizure, is facing repercussions after it was revealed that they had disposed of the ballot storage boxes for which the court had ordered the preservation of evidence. Their position is that there is no legal issue because they handed them over to a disposal company before the court's order, but is there actually no obligation to keep them? [Question 3-1] However, criticism is mounting because the disposal took place in a situation where lawsuits or disputes were anticipated. Is there no possibility that separate liability could be recognized for failing to anticipate that they could be subject to evidence preservation? [Question 4] Evidence of negligence in management by the Election Commission is also being raised one after another. In particular, it is pointed out that a significant number of additional ballots lacked serial numbers, causing delays as they had to be manually recorded on-site. If these facts are confirmed, could this go beyond a simple administrative error and lead to legal liability, such as dereliction of duty? [Question 5] Suspicious discrepancies have also been identified in the National Election Commission's tally data. In the case of Polling Station No. 6 in Jamsil 2-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul, a discrepancy was found between the number of ballots and the number of voters. Should the investigation headquarters also verify such numerical discrepancies? [Question 6] Protests blocking the vote counting station are continuing in Jamsil, Seoul, where a ballot shortage is currently occurring. Following the resignation of the Chief of the Songpa Police Station, which has jurisdiction over the area, the Chairman of the Songpa District Election Commission has also resigned. Will the successive resignations of top officials responsible for local election management and public security affect future security management and investigations? [Question 7] Meanwhile, acts of mocking or insulting police officers during the polling station blockade protests have become a subject of controversy. Ultimately, the Commissioner General of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency stated that he would take firm action. There is an opinion that it is difficult to punish someone merely for criticizing or satirizing; in what actual cases can charges of insult or obstruction of official d...