Special counsel says deceased NEC official's note cites no coercion

A special counsel investigating the National Election Commission (NEC) has clarified that the deceased NEC official found dead after questioning did not allege any coercion in his suicide note, according to the investigation team. The NEC official, in his 40s, was discovered outside his apartment in Hwaseong, south of Seoul, on Wednesday morning.

The note, reportedly left by the official, expressed his dissatisfaction with the questioning he endured the previous day. His lawyer had previously claimed that investigators had applied pressure and engaged in coercion during the interrogation, also highlighting procedural issues in compiling the interrogation records.

Following a thorough review of the suicide note's content, the investigation team, led by special counsel Lee Tae-han, confirmed that the note did not contain any references to coercion. Instead, the deceased conveyed that he held no animosity towards the special counsel, and primarily pointed out organizational issues within the NEC.

The special counsel team was established on September 7 to examine various allegations of misconduct concerning the NEC, including ballot shortages and potential tampering with voter turnout data during the local elections in June.