A male employee of South Korea's National Election Commission (NEC) has been found dead, one day after being questioned by a special prosecutor, according to KBS 뉴스 and other Korean outlets. The man, reported to be in his forties and a Grade 5 official at the central commission, was discovered the day following his questioning, Yonhap reported. The NEC said it regards the matter as serious and issued a statement expressing deep regret, saying the investigation had placed psychological pressure on the staff member, KBS 뉴스 reported.
The special prosecutor's team said no coercive interrogation methods were used during the questioning, according to Yonhap. Reporting on the case was carried by multiple outlets, including KBS 뉴스, Dong-A Ilbo, Chosun Ilbo and Kiho Ilbo, which differed only in how they described the official's rank and age.
The circumstances of the death and the details of the questioning have not been fully disclosed in the available reporting. It is not yet clear what the special prosecutor's investigation concerned or what stage it had reached.
Watch for further statements from the special prosecutor's office and the election commission, and for any announcement on the cause of death.
