Who Pulled the Strings? Deep Discontent Within South Korea’s Election Watchdog
2026-2-5, Ik-hyun Kang
On January 27, 2026, the South Korean National Assembly’s Special Committee on Political Reform convened to discuss electoral safeguards ahead of the June 3 local elections. During the session, Representative Kim Seung-soo (김승수) of the opposition People Power Party presented a startling internal survey that provides a rare, grim look into the psyche of the National Election Commission (NEC) staff.[1]
NEC Officers in Despair
The survey revealed an organization in crisis. When asked about their outlook on the NEC, a staggering 71.6% of employees described their state as “desperate,” while a mere 6% felt “hopeful.” The data suggests that the call for reform is coming from within the house: 83.6% of staff blamed inadequate central guidelines for the chaos witnessed at early voting sites during the 20th presidential election in March 2022.
Figure 1
| Election Management Innovation Committee Survey (April 2022) | |
| the biggest cause of confusion at early voting? | Inadequate timing and the NEC’s guidelines (83.6%) |
| The most difficult part of running for the 20th presidential election | Central Guideline Policy Direction (70.8%) |
| Your psychological state toward the NEC | Desperate (71.6%), Hopeful (6.0%) |
| Is the process of gathering opinions between the central and regional levels smooth? | Not smooth (68.4%), Smooth (4.3%) |
| The biggest problem in gathering local opinion? | Local committee opinions not reflected (68.9%) |
This internal voice mirrors the concerns of millions of citizens who suspect early voting is a conduit for fraud. In short, the very people tasked with managing the vote appear acutely aware that the system is failing.
South Korea established the NEC as an impartial constitutional body in 1963 to ensure that elections were conducted in a fair and transparent manner. However, since the April 2020 general election, the organization has been associated with “absurd phenomena.”
Absurd Scene 1: The “Nobel Prize” Paper
During 2020 recounts, bundles of ballots were discovered looking as crisp as new bills, with no signs of ever being folded. South Korean ballots are supposed to be folded before placing them in the ballot box by the Article 157 of the Public Official Election Act, which states, “Fold the ballot paper so that it cannot be seen by others and place it in the ballot box.” This impossibility mirrored reports[2] from Georgia’s Cobb County in the U.S. in November 2020 election. The NEC’s official explanation—that they used “special paper” that restores its own shape to the original pristine condition (without any traces of folding or handling)—was widely mocked and derided by a public that joked the invention was “worthy of a Nobel Prize.”[3]
Figure 2
Freshly printed-look, neatly stacked “ballots”
Figure 3
Normal batch of ballots (handled, worn)
Scene 2: The Missing Seals
In an Osan City recount, eight ballots lacking the mandatory supervisor’s personal seal (which acts like a signature of authenticity) were ruled valid by the South Korean Supreme Court justices.[4] Among the justices making that call was Roh Tae-ak (노태악), the current NEC Chairman. The NEC subsequently updated its criteria to accept seal-less ballots,[5] a move that defies common sense and has reportedly appalled rank-and-file staff.
The seal is an essential part of the voter verification. The supervisor places his or her seal on the ballot after verifying the voter’s identification and that the voter is indeed registered to vote.
Figure 4
Left: Valid (has the large square red seal on the top right corner, which means the ballot was issued by the NEC); Right: Invalid (missing the large square red seal on the right corner)
Scene 3: The “Magic” Sealing Stickers
The NEC publicly demonstrated security stickers that leave an “OPEN VOID” mark when removed from ballot boxes. These security seal stickers are supposed to be an anti-tamper mechanism designed to show if ballot boxes had been opened, which means tampering. However, during actual use, observers found the commissioner had switched to “non-residual” stickers that leave no mark after removal. That means there are no indications of tampering, even if the ballot boxes were opened before counting. The non-residual seal stickers defeat the very purpose of deterring tampering. This switch to a different type of seal sticker caught in side-by-side photo comparisons by skeptical citizens,[6] further fueled internal pessimism.
Figure 5
Left: Seal sticker that leaves a trace; Right: “Non-residual” seal sticker (do not leave a trace)
Conclusion
It’s easy to imagine how ordinary NEC employees felt upon seeing this shift in stance. That’s why they responded to the survey with pessimism about their own organization.
The results of the NEC survey reveal that even NEC employees are aware that their organization is being operated abnormally and is issuing problematic directives. They likely believe that a powerful force is pulling their strings like a marionette.
Recently, President Trump declared at the Davos Forum that the 2020 presidential election was fraudulent and that those involved would be prosecuted. The group they belong to is not limited to the United States, but also has perpetrated election fraud on a global scale including in South Korea.
Dr. Ik-hyun Kang is a columnist and former analyst at the National Intelligence Service in South Korea.
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=1JF_75SgaqZL9Cug&v=WQNrVjjCOWQ&feature=youtu.be
[2] Rasmussen Poll. (2020, November 3). Georgia 2020 [Tweet]. X. from https://x.com/Rasmussen_Poll/status/2002146416379245058?s=20; Georgia 2020:
[3] Jeong, J. (2025, January 24). Evidence and claims of election fraud involving shape-memory paper ballots and voter list manipulations. Gyonggi Daily. https://www.ggdaily.kr/123484
[4] Author Unknown. (Year Unknown). Election fraud controversy at Osan city recount site: Discrepancies in voting stamps and ballots. OurToday. Retrieved January 28, 2026, from https://www.ourtoday.co.kr/mobile/article.html?no=24599
[5] Election Commission. (n.d.). Criteria for valid and invalid ballots. Retrieved January 28, 2026, fromhttps://nec.go.kr/site/nec/ex/bbs/View.do?cbIdx=1147&bcIdx=164260
[6] skyedaily.com/news/news_view.html?ID=269892