Election commission employee found dead day after special counsel questioning in Hwaseong
In short
A man in his 40s who worked for South Korea's National Election Commission was found dead on 21 October in Hwaseong, a day after being questioned as a suspect by the Lee Tae-han special counsel team. The commission said continued investigation had put him under extreme psychological strain, while the special counsel said there was no coercion and no late-night questioning.
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A man in his 40s who worked for the National Election Commission was found dead at about 07:06 on 21 October in a flowerbed at an apartment complex in Bongdam-eup, Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province. He had been questioned by the special counsel team led by Lee Tae-han, which is investigating the commission. Police believe he jumped from the apartment where he lived and are investigating the exact circumstances. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 7 , 10 ]
Outlets reported that he left a note expressing grievance over the investigation. Several outlets identified him as a fifth-grade official in the commission's election infrastructure division. [ 1 , 2 , 4 , 7 , 10 , 12 , 15 ]
On 20 October he appeared before the special counsel as a suspect in bid obstruction and breach of trust. The team is investigating alleged bid irregularities between the commission and election-supplies contractors in last year's presidential election and this year's local elections. He was questioned with a lawyer present until 20:55, then read the transcript for about 1 hour 45 minutes. Most outlets said he went home at about 22:40, and one said about 23:00. [ 3 , 7 , 8 , 10 , 11 , 12 ]
The commission said in a statement that the employee, who had been questioned as a suspect until late at night on 20 October, had died that morning. It said it had cooperated with the special counsel's searches and other procedures, and that it regretted that he suffered extreme psychological burden from continued investigation. It asked that the cause of death be established quickly and asked the special counsel to ensure that commission staff's human rights are not violated. [ 3 , 7 , 8 , 13 ]
The special counsel expressed condolences and said there was no coercion, because the suspect read and corrected the transcript voluntarily. In a later notice, it said the commission's account was untrue. It said 20 October was the first and only time he was questioned in the joint investigation headquarters and special counsel probes. It also said no late-night questioning took place, as he did not want night questioning and the session ended at 20:55. [ 3 , 5 , 19 , 20 , 22 ]
The special counsel gave the schedule as arrival at about 10:00, a total of 10 hours 55 minutes, 3 hours 20 minutes of breaks and 7 hours 35 minutes of actual questioning. It said he handwrote corrections to about 40 answers and raised no objection to the questioning or the transcript. [ 17 , 19 , 20 ]
The team, launched last month, has up to 150 days to investigate 12 allegations, including a ballot shortage, manipulation of voting statistics, junkets by commission officials and irregular hiring and promotions. On 21 October it also searched the home of former commission chair Roh Tae-ak and seized his phone. After the death it postponed a planned visit to the head of the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency, Kim Ji-yong, to 23 October at 15:00. [ 5 , 10 , 12 , 13 , 17 , 20 , 30 ]
Why it matters
The death has produced an open dispute between the election commission and the special counsel over how the questioning was conducted. Police are still investigating the circumstances, and the special counsel's wider investigation of the commission continues.
Key facts
- A man in his 40s employed by the National Election Commission was found dead at about 07:06 on 21 October in a flowerbed at an apartment complex in Bongdam-eup, Hwaseong. [ 1 , 2 , 4 , 7 ]
- Police believe he jumped from the apartment where he lived and are investigating the exact circumstances. [ 1 , 4 , 7 , 8 , 10 ]
- He was reported to have left a note expressing grievance over the investigation. [ 1 , 2 , 4 , 7 , 8 ]
- On 20 October he appeared before the Lee Tae-han special counsel team as a suspect in bid obstruction and breach of trust, with a lawyer present. [ 7 , 8 , 10 , 11 , 12 ]
- The commission said he had been questioned as a suspect until late at night on 20 October and that continued investigation caused him extreme psychological burden. [ 3 , 7 , 13 ]
- The special counsel said there was no coercion and no late-night questioning, and that this was his first and only questioning. [ 3 , 19 , 20 , 22 ]
- The special counsel postponed a planned visit to the head of the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency to 23 October at 15:00. [ 17 , 20 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- An employee of the National Election Commission in his 40s was found dead on the morning of 21 October at an apartment complex in Bongdam-eup, Hwaseong. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 7 ]
- He had been questioned as a suspect by the special counsel team the day before, over bid obstruction and breach of trust allegations. [ 7 , 8 , 10 , 11 , 12 ]
- The special counsel said the questioning was not coercive and that he read and corrected his statement voluntarily. [ 3 , 5 , 7 , 13 , 20 ]
- The commission asked the special counsel to ensure that its staff's human rights are not violated in the rest of the investigation. [ 3 , 7 , 13 , 17 ]
Still unclear
- How the man died. Police are reported to believe he jumped from his apartment, but the documents say police are still investigating the exact circumstances.
- Whether the questioning ran late at night. The commission said he was questioned as a suspect until late at night on 20 October; the special counsel said it ended at 20:55 because he did not want night questioning, and called the commission's statement untrue.
- Whether the investigation was 'continued'. The commission referred to continued investigation, while the special counsel said 20 October was the first and only time he was questioned in the joint investigation headquarters and special counsel probes.
- The time he went home after questioning. Most outlets reported about 22:40, while one reported about 23:00.
- The exact content of the note. Outlets variously called it a suicide note or a memo, and reported its content as a plea of grievance over the investigation, citing unnamed sources.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- On 20 October he appeared before the special counsel team and was questioned as a suspect with a lawyer present. [ 7 , 19 ]
- On 20 October the questioning ended; he then spent about 1 hour 45 minutes reading and correcting the transcript. [ 7 , 10 , 19 , 20 ]
- On 20 October he went home, according to most outlets; one outlet said about 23:00. [ 7 , 8 , 10 , 11 , 12 ]
- On 21 October he was found dead in a flowerbed at an apartment complex in Bongdam-eup, Hwaseong. [ 1 , 2 , 4 , 7 ]
- Dong-A Ilbo reported the commission's statement of regret over the death. [ 3 ]
- The special counsel said there had been no coercive situation during the questioning. [ 5 , 6 ]
- Newsis reported the special counsel's statement calling the commission's account untrue. [ 19 ]