Kim Se-hwan, former secretary-general of the National Election Commission, attends a hearing at the National Assembly, Nov. 8, 2021. Yonhap

A report by the state audit agency that the former secretary-general of the National Election Commission (NEC) used a secret phone to communicate with politicians during his time in office has sent shockwaves throughout the country, including the ruling People Power Party (PPP).

The Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) revealed in its report Thursday that Kim Se-hwan, the former NEC secretary-general, used a secret phone to communicate with politicians ahead of the 2022 presidential election in March and 2022 local elections in June.

However, Kim resigned in March 2022 amid a controversy over the mismanagement of early voting for the presidential election. He did not return his secret phone until November 2023, when the audit was in progress. The phone was in reset mode, preventing any tracking of its history.

The PPP criticized Kim and the NEC for failing to ensure a fair election, stating that the agency needs to implement a special audit system.

However, it was later revealed that Kim had run in the PPP's by-election primary in Ganghwa County, located in the western port city of Incheon.

The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), which plans to propose legislation to strengthen the independence of the NEC, called for an investigation into the PPP's potential contact with Kim.

However, the PPP accused the DPK of attempting to obscure the core issue by focusing on the fact that Kim ran for a regional by-election as a member of the PPP.

"The essence of the problem is about fairness, not political factions. Regardless of political affiliation, anyone who commits injustice and corruption must be severely punished according to the law," PPP Rep. Na Kyung-won said.

She also criticized Kim for attempting to secure a job for his son at the NEC. The BAI further found that Kim had abused his power to hire and promote his son.