President Lee appoints special counsel to probe ballot shortages

The Korea Times reports that President Lee Jae Myung has appointed prosecutor-turned-lawyer Lee Tae-han as a special counsel to investigate the reported ballot shortages during the June 3 elections. Lee Tae-han, one of two candidates recommended by a bipartisan recommendation committee, has been given up to 20 days to prepare for the investigation, with a full-scale probe expected to commence early next month.

The special counsel team will have 90 days to investigate allegations of mismanagement of ballot papers by the National Election Commission, with the investigation period extendable twice by 30 days each. The special counsel emphasized that the probe is aimed at clearing up doubts without any political considerations or prejudice, stating that they will adhere to laws and principles, as well as objective evidence and facts.

The investigation is expected to lay the foundation for improvements in the country's election management.

Brief written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.