The National Election Commission(NEC) says it has terminated eight employees it suspects of receiving preferential treatment in hiring as children of former and incumbent NEC officials.

The election watchdog made the announcement in a press release issued Wednesday.

Initially, the commission had said it would terminate ten people, all of whom are children of former and incumbent NEC officials, but it decided to postpone taking action in the remaining two cases until a later date, depending on the outcome of related investigations.  

The latest move comes after the NEC asked the police to investigate 19 people over suspected misconduct in hiring practices, including eight former and incumbent commission officials. 

The NEC came under fire from the Board of Audit and Inspection in May 2023 after allegations emerged that children of senior officials, including former Secretary-General Park Chan-jin and former Deputy Secretary-General Song Bong-seop, received preferential treatment to gain employment at the commission.