"All But 1,000 Won: 8.3 Billion Won in Bonuses Paid—Election Commission Held Bonus Feast Even During 'Basket Voting' Scandal"

Although the Commission Chair Resigned at the Time,
Nearly the Entire Performance Bonus Budget Was Disbursed Except for 1,000 Won

While the National Election Commission has come under fire for the recent shortage of ballots, it has been reported that employees received performance bonuses four years ago during the so-called "Basket Voting" controversy.

Cheolhun Heo, Secretary General of the National Election Commission, is issuing a public apology regarding the shortage of ballots at the Central Election Commission office in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, on the main voting day of the June 3 local elections. Photo by Yonhap News

According to YTN on June 13, it was confirmed that National Election Commission employees who were involved in the "Basket Voting" debacle during the 2022 presidential election early voting period still received their full allocated performance bonuses.

At the time, the commission's personnel expenses showed a budget allocation of 8,347,970,000 won for "performance bonuses," and the actual amount disbursed was 8,347,960,000 won—meaning the entire budget was executed except for 1,000 won. According to commission regulations, performance bonuses were to be paid after a review to employees with outstanding work performance or achievements.

During the 2022 presidential election early voting, the commission implemented a temporary polling booth system without sufficient preparation for a potential surge in COVID-19 patients and those in quarantine. Unsealed ballots were placed in red plastic baskets, leading to the derogatory nickname "Basket Voting." Following widespread criticism for disregarding the principles of direct and secret elections, the chairman of the National Election Commission ultimately issued a public apology and resigned.

In other words, despite the nationwide controversy caused by "Basket Voting," the commission internally assessed employee work performance as good enough to fully distribute the performance bonus budget.

YTN also reported that, at the time, only two employees were disciplined for the election management failures, receiving suspensions of three months and two months, respectively. It was noted that the main reasons for the disciplinary action were "abuse of authority," with management failures only partially included as grounds. In addition, the commission faced criticism for conducting its own internal investigations into both the "Basket Voting" incident and allegations of nepotism in hiring, leading to accusations of "self-investigation."

The National Election Commission explained to YTN that the performance bonuses were paid within the allocated budget as required by policy.

Meanwhile, in response to the recent ballot shortage, the commission has been operating its own fact-finding committee for ten days since June 10. The committee consists of six external members, each recommended by the legal, academic, and civic sectors. Committee chairperson, attorney Cho Hyunwook, emphasized that the primary focus is on how to reform the commission's system deficiencies.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.