President Lee Appoints Lee Taehan, Non-standing Member of Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, as Special Prosecutor for Election Commission Investigation

Chief Presidential Spokesperson Kang Yoo-jung announced on the 18th that President Lee Jae-myung has appointed Lee Taehan, a non-standing member of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, as the special prosecutor to investigate allegations surrounding the National Election Commission.

Special Prosecutor Lee passed the 33rd National Bar Examination in 1991 and worked for 18 years as a prosecutor. He previously served as chief prosecutor at the Ulsan District Prosecutors' Office, Suwon District Prosecutors' Office, and Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office. He currently serves as Vice President of the Korean Bar Association, a member of the Ministry of Justice's Prosecutorial Personnel Committee, and a non-standing member of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission.

President Lee Jae-myung appointed former Chief Prosecutor of the 4th Criminal Division at Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office, Lee Taehan, as a special prosecutor to investigate the shortage of ballots during the June 3 local elections on the 18th. August 18, 2026 Yonhap News Agency

Previously, the National Assembly passed the Special Prosecutor Act for investigating the 'ballot shortage incident' that occurred during the 9th nationwide local elections at the plenary session on July 30. The scope of the special prosecutor act includes not only the ballot shortage incident but also recent allegations of vote count manipulation and issues related to the election network system.

After the passage, both the Korean Bar Association and the Korean Association of Law Schools each recommended three candidates. The Citizens' Recommendation Committee, which is formed by an equal number of recommendations from both the ruling and opposition parties, nominated Lee and former Seoul High Prosecutors' Office prosecutor Lee Hyuk as the final candidates on August 14.

Once appointed on this day, Special Prosecutor Lee will begin preparations necessary for his duties for a maximum of 20 days. The investigation must be completed within 90 days starting from the day after the preparation period ends. If necessary, a 30-day extension can be granted following reports to the President and National Assembly. Should more time be required, an additional 30-day extension may be approved by the President.

In addition, if needed, the special prosecutor may request up to 20 prosecutors and up to 70 government officials (excluding dispatched prosecutors) on secondment from relevant institutions. The President is required to appoint five assistant special prosecutors as recommended by the special prosecutor, who is also authorized to appoint up to 70 special investigators.

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