On July 6, the Audit Agency announced the start of its audit focusing on the "actual conditions of election-related budget planning and execution."
Previously, the agency had been collecting data for the audit after a decision by the Audit Committee last month.
The audit will cover the Central Election Commission, as well as local election commissions in Seoul, Gyeonggi, and Busan, along with their respective districts and municipalities.
A large audit team of 42 members, led by the Director of the Administrative and Safety Audit Bureau, will conduct the audit in two phases: from July 6 to 24 and again for 14 days in August.
The Audit Agency plans to review the results of the first phase to determine the focus areas and whether to expand the audit team.
This audit follows concerns about the Election Commission's inadequate initial response to the ballot shortage and issues with its command and response systems.
Particularly, there have been growing calls for reform within the commission and the need for external audits due to allegations related to lowering the minimum printing standard for ballots, budget execution for printing, sole-source contracts, and overseas trips.
According to the Central Election Commission's Truth Investigation Committee, 141 polling places experienced ballot shortages during the June 3 local elections.
Of these, voting was halted at 26 locations due to insufficient ballots.
It was also revealed that the decision to lower the minimum printing standard from 60% to 50% was made solely by the Secretary-General.
The high proportion of sole-source contracts within the Election Commission has also come under scrutiny. An analysis by National Assembly member Joo Jin-woo found that 82.1% of the 2,665 contracts over the past five years were sole-source contracts, with the proportion reaching 87.7% last year.
Allegations of unnecessary overseas trips by Election Commission staff have also emerged. According to data received by National Assembly member Kim Ki-hyun, there were 107 overseas trips involving 461 staff members from 2022 to June of this year, with a total budget of 2.452 billion won.
Former Central Election Commissioner Noh Tae-ak reportedly took three overseas trips to Germany and Sweden during his tenure, traveling with his spouse but failing to disclose this in his post-trip reports.
In response, the Audit Agency will focus on reviewing the budget planning and execution for ballot printing, ballot printing contracts, various allowances related to elections, and expenses for overseas trips. The agency will also investigate issues related to sole-source contracts, including pricing, contract splitting, and allegations of favoritism.
An Audit Agency official stated, "We aim to provide solutions to public concerns regarding the Election Commission by reviewing the implementation of audit recommendations."
Meanwhile, the Election Commission, as a constitutional body, is not subject to the Audit Agency's oversight according to a Constitutional Court ruling, meaning the agency can only conduct financial audits of the commission. The last regular audit of the Election Commission by the Audit Agency took place in 2022.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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