'Minkyung Min, Who Claimed "Early Voting Manipulation," Starts Fundraising Despite Election Commission's Rebuttal'

Election Commission: "No Possibility of Voting and Counting Manipulation... Will Respond Firmly"

In the 21st National Assembly election, Min Kyung-wook, a member of the United Future Party who lost, claimed a "pre-voting manipulation theory" and started raising funds to promote a recount.
Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suwan] Min Kyung-wook, a member of the Future United Party who lost in the 21st National Assembly election, has claimed a 'pre-voting manipulation theory' and started raising funds to push for a recount.

On the 22nd, Min posted on his Facebook, "It is said that a huge sum of 50 million won is required to apply for a recount," and appealed, "Please support with donations." Along with this, he also posted a photo of his business card with the donation account number.

He continued, "I am grateful that Gaseyeon (YouTube channel Garosero Research Institute) quickly raised 60 million won. However, somehow the Central Election Commission (CEC) called and informed me that accepting that money could be illegal. So, we are currently reviewing the legal aspects."

He added, "Even if the donations are used for legal litigation costs, if we lose the lawsuit, I will have to pay out of my own pocket. Any remaining balance of my donations in the account by the time my term expires on May 30 will revert to the national treasury, so there is no chance of me embezzling it," and explained, "I still have 45 million won left within my donation limit for this year."

Earlier that day, Min held a press conference at the National Assembly with the Incheon Citizens' Coalition, raising suspicions of pre-voting fraud and announced, "As a preliminary measure for requesting a recount, we have applied for evidence preservation at the court."

He said, "If we manually recount one by one, unnecessary controversies can be suppressed," and "If necessary, the party has confirmed its willingness to provide legal assistance."

He also added, "If any evidence emerges during the verification process that someone tried to obstruct the work, we plan to file a prosecution later."

At a party meeting held on the 20th, Min had claimed suspicions of vote manipulation, stating that the vote rates inside and outside his constituency, 'Incheon Yeonsu-eul,' were almost identical in many places.

In response, the CEC issued a press release that day, stating, "There is absolutely no possibility that the CEC manipulated the voting and counting results," and "The evidence presented cannot be considered proof of election fraud."

They added, "The claims and evidence presented as suspicions cannot be considered proof of election fraud," and "The CEC will disclose all related materials upon lawful requests."

Regarding the suspicion that the in-constituency pre-voting rates and out-of-constituency pre-voting rates for Democratic Party and United Party candidates were identical by a specific constant, the CEC rebutted, "Only 11 constituencies (4.3%) out of 253 nationwide have the same ratio, so it is not a nationwide similar result."

The CEC also denied claims that ballot boxes were replaced because the signatures were not those of the observers themselves, allegations that tampered seals were found in front of the CEC building leading to ballot box swapping, and suspicions of ballot shredding, stating all were "not true."

In particular, they warned sternly, "Those who disrupt national unity and social atmosphere with reckless suspicions without accurate evidence must bear heavy legal and social responsibility," and emphasized, "If such acts continue, we will respond strongly, including filing complaints against the parties and related persons."

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