Pool Hall and PC Bang Visits, Mobile Phone Purchase... 3 Cases of Unauthorized Departure After Voting Reported (Update)

On the 14th, one day before the 21st National Assembly election, officials are disinfecting at a separate voting booth for those with fever symptoms and self-quarantined individuals at Cheongun Elementary School, the first polling station in Cheongunhyoja-dong, Seoul. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporters Choi Dae-yeol and Jo Hyun-ui] Six cases of unauthorized departure were detected on the 15th, when individuals under self-quarantine due to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) went out to vote. The government has filed charges in three of these cases.

According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters on the 16th, 11,151 people participated in voting in the election held the previous day. To guarantee voting rights, the government temporarily allowed self-quarantined individuals to go out from 5:20 PM to 7:00 PM. Through smartphone applications and management by responsible officials, measures were taken to prevent them from leaving the quarantine location for places other than the polling stations, but some violations were confirmed.

Park Jong-hyun, Public Relations Manager of the Pan-Government Countermeasure Support Headquarters, stated, "Among the unauthorized departures, three cases involving visits to billiard halls or PC rooms, visits to discount marts or friends’ houses, and leaving to replace a mobile phone will be immediately reported."

Among the remaining three cases, one is still under review to determine if it constitutes grounds for prosecution. Two cases involved leaving slightly earlier than the designated time (5:20 PM) to move to the polling station, and the other involved a self-quarantined couple where one person decided not to vote but traveled together by car. The government confirmed that the individual who did not express an intention to vote did not leave the car and remained inside.

Park said, "Unauthorized departure can be a serious crime that endangers neighbors, local communities, and even the entire nation," adding, "To raise awareness, emergency disaster relief funds will not be provided to those who leave without permission."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.