Prosecutors have continued their investigation into allegations of hiring irregularities at the National Election Commission(NEC) with a number of raids on Thursday.

The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office sent prosecutors and investigators to around ten different locations, including the residence of former NEC chief Park Chan-jin and former Deputy Secretary-General Song Bong-seop.

The Chungbuk Election Commission and the Jeonnam Election Commission were amongst those included in the search and seizure operations.

Last month, prosecutors began collecting evidence at five locations, including the NEC and its regional offices.

The move comes after the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission reported 353 cases of hiring irregularities within the election watchdog from the past seven years, including 312 apparent instances of preferential treatment for family members and other types of solicitation.