Two Former Prosecutors Selected as Candidates for Special Counsel in South Korea's Election Ballot Shortage Investigation

SEOUL, Aug. 14 (Yonhap) -- Two former prosecutors were selected Friday as candidates for special counsel to investigate ballot shortages reported during the June 3 elections. A bipartisan recommendation committee unanimously picked Lee Tae-han and Lee Hyuk, both prosecutor-turned-lawyers, from among six candidates recommended by the Korean Bar Association and the Association of Korean Law Schools. The two will be recommended to President Lee Jae Myung, who is required to appoint one of them as special counsel within three days. The appointed special counsel will have up to 20 days to prepare for the investigation, with a full-scale probe expected to begin early next month. The special counsel team will have up to 90 days to investigate allegations of mismanagement of ballot papers by the National Election Commission, with the period extendable twice by 30 days each.