Investigators raid election watchdog after detecting data manipulation

Investigators raided the headquarters of the National Election Commission (NEC) on Thursday to secure evidence in a widening probe into ballot shortages during the June 3 local elections, legal sources said.

Prosecutors and investigators on a prosecution-police task force executed a search and seizure warrant at the NEC office in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi, after detecting evidence that some watchdog employees manipulated statistics in their computer system to cover up errors in voter numbers.

Ballot shortages were reported at multiple polling stations on election day, forcing some voters to turn back without casting their ballots.

Yonhap