NEC issues verbal warnings to employees involved in crimes

The National Election Commission (NEC) has been found to have repeatedly issued mere verbal warnings or cautions to its employees involved in criminal cases such as theft and assault, without undergoing disciplinary procedures. During an audit by Korea’s Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI), the NEC even argued that, as a constitutional institution, its employees should be subject to different regulations than regular public officials.

According to the BAI's audit report on the NEC released on February 28, out of 36 criminal cases involving NEC employees, 13 cases (36%) were not subject to disciplinary resolutions, and only verbal warnings or cautions were issued. In one case, an employee at the Gyeonggi Provincial Election Commission was given a suspended indictment for theft in July 2020. However, the NEC only issued a verbal warning to the employee. Four months later, the same employee committed theft again and was given a summary order by the court, equivalent to a fine. Despite this, the Gyeonggi Provincial Election Commission merely imposed a reprimand, noting that the employee had previously received a commendation from the Gyeonggi Provincial Election Commission Chairperson. This employee was later caught committing theft a total of four times, after which the NEC imposed a warning, a reprimand, a one-month suspension, and eventually a demotion.

An employee at the South Jeolla Provincial Election Commission was issued a summary order (typically a fine) for assault, but the NEC only gave a verbal warning. Another employee at the Gwangju Municipal Election Commission received a suspended indictment for a traffic accident resulting in injury, but was only advised to drive safely.

According to the presidential directive, public officials who commit crimes such as theft must be referred to a disciplinary committee within their respective agencies, where they are subject to at least a salary reduction or a reprimand, even if they receive a suspended indictment. However, citing its internal regulations, the NEC did not require disciplinary action for crimes unrelated to an employee’s official duties.

Since 2019, the NEC has received four requests from the BAI to amend this regulation but has not complied. Only after the NEC faced an audit in 2023 due to allegations of preferential hiring did it finally revise that regulation. According to the BAI, during the audit, the NEC argued that blindly following the presidential directive to revise disciplinary standards for public officials could undermine constitutional values and the spirit of the law.


고도예기자 yea@donga.com