- National Investigation Special Committee Period Extended by 30 Days, Third Hearing Voted to Be Held on August 10
- Special Counsel Team of Around 165 Members to Operate for Up to 170 Days… Targeting 12 Allegations Including Election Manipulation
- Special Counsel to Be Appointed Through Recommendation Committee Including Korean Bar Association… Recount Schedule Subject to Potential Changes

The 'NEC Special Counsel Bill,' designed to investigate suspicions surrounding the National Election Commission (NEC) including the ballot paper shortage incident, has cleared the National Assembly through a bipartisan agreement. Alongside this, a tentative agreement has been reached on the schedule for a large-scale recount of 2.47 million ballot papers in Songpa-gu, Seoul, signaling the full-fledged launch of comprehensive fact-finding operations into the poor election management fiasco.

Through a bipartisan agreement on the 30th, the National Assembly voted to extend the operational period of the Special Committee on Investigating the Truth Behind the Ballot Paper Shortage by one month. With the period extended, the Special Committee agreed to hold its third hearing on August 10 and conduct a recount of the 2.47 million ballot papers stored at the Handball Gymnasium in Olympic Park, Seoul, on August 18.

Under the newly passed Special Counsel Bill, a large-scale special counsel team of approximately 165 members will operate for up to 170 days. The investigation targets a total of 12 allegations, including the ballot paper shortage. This encompasses all core corruption suspicions, such as junket trips by current and former NEC members and employees, preferential promotions for their children, election statistics manipulation, and poor operation of the election management system.

The appointment procedure for the special counsel will be led by a public recommendation committee composed of an equal number of recommendations from the ruling and opposition parties. After receiving three special counsel candidates each from the Korean Bar Association and the Korean Law Professors Association, two of them will be ultimately recommended to the President.

However, the recount schedule slated for August 18 is a tentative agreement between the floor leaders of the ruling and opposition parties, leaving open the possibility that the specific timing may be adjusted depending on potential conflicts with the future special counsel investigation schedule.