[Comprehensive] Harsh Criticism from United Party to Min Kyung-wook Who Claimed 'Election Manipulation'... "Underestimating the Republic of Korea"

Minkyungwook "Evidence of 'Election Fraud' That Will Turn the World Upside Down, Revealed on the 11th"
Election Commission "Manipulation and Fraud Are Absolutely Impossible"

Former United Future Party lawmaker Min Kyung-wook, who lost in the April 15 general election in Yeonsu-eul, Incheon, is shouting slogans at a press conference held on the morning of the 7th in front of the Supreme Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul, regarding the submission of the Supreme Court petition for election invalidation lawsuit.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] Min Kyung-wook, a member of the United Future Party, raised suspicions of manipulation in the early voting of the 21st general election. However, voices of criticism are rising within the United Future Party, saying this is merely a YouTuber's claim. The Central Election Management Committee also dismissed the claims, stating, "There can never be manipulation or fraud in the early voting and counting processes," they said.

On the 10th, Min posted on his Facebook, "Walter Mebane, a world-renowned authority on election fraud research from the University of Michigan, has published a second paper related to the Korean general election. This study reconfirms and strengthens suspicions that the 21st general election was manipulated," sharing a summary of the paper translated by Professor Jeong Hoon of Waseda University in Japan.

The paper he disclosed states, "After conducting various statistical tests, the multiple statistical anomalies observed in Korea's 21st general election are too extreme to be explained by natural causes or strategic voting behavior by voters," and "Considering these anomalies comprehensively, there is a strong suggestion that election data was manipulated in Korea's 2020 parliamentary election."

Earlier, on the 8th, Min raised suspicions of election manipulation by citing several examples. The first evidence he presented was a photo showing the Democratic Party's on-site reaction watching the vote count broadcast immediately after the exit poll results were announced in the 2018 local elections and the 21st general election.

He pointed out, "The highest viewership and response from elected officials is during exit poll broadcasts," adding, "However, when the exit poll predicting a landslide victory of up to 170 seats for the Democratic Party was announced, not a single person smiled or applauded enthusiastically."

Min Kyung-wook, member of the United Future Party [Image source=Yonhap News]

Min cited former Democratic Research Institute head Yang Jeong-cheol's expression of resignation immediately after the general election, saying he was "scared and fearful," as the second piece of evidence. He said, "Usually, the key contributors to a landslide victory receive great rewards after the election. They usually claim credit for it," and questioned, "I ask Yang Jeong-cheol, what were you scared and fearful of? Did anyone threaten you?"

As the third evidence, he mentioned that Nam Young-hee, the Democratic Party candidate who ran in Michuhol, Incheon, and lost, withdrew the request for a recount. He said, "It is natural to feel wronged when losing an election, especially when the margin is as small as 171 votes, the smallest nationwide," but asked, "Did you receive a call from someone preventing the recount? Who was that?"

Finally, he declared, "On Monday (the 11th) at 2 p.m. in the National Assembly debate hall, I will reveal evidence that will turn the world upside down," expressing confidence that "the manipulated election case will reach a turning point."

Earlier, suspicions of early voting manipulation were raised mainly by some far-right YouTube channels immediately after the United Future Party's defeat in this general election. Figures such as Min Kyung-wook and Cha Myung-jin, who ran and lost in Bucheon B, Gyeonggi Province, have expressed agreement with these suspicions.

However, voices within the United Future Party strongly refute these claims. On the 22nd of last month, Lee Jun-seok, the party's Supreme Council member, appeared on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' and said, "(Conservative YouTubers) themselves said, 'Because early voting is manipulated, vote in the main election,'" adding, "After the election, seeing the results, conservatives were dominant in the main vote but disadvantaged in early voting, so now they say, 'See, isn't this manipulation?'"

United Future Party lawmaker Ha Tae-kyung also criticized the suspicions. On the 7th, he wrote on his Facebook, "The claim that the vote was manipulated greatly underestimates the Republic of Korea."

He continued, "The biggest problem with the early voting manipulation theory is the failure to distinguish between the regime and the state," adding, "Just as Korea's quarantine was world-class, the election management system is also globally top-class."

In response to the controversy, the Central Election Management Committee (CEMC) denied the early voting manipulation theory as "completely untrue." In a press release on the 3rd, the CEMC stated, "There can never be manipulation or fraud in the early voting and counting processes," and urged, "Please do not be misled by unilateral claims raised on YouTube and other platforms."

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