People Power Party: "Election Commission, Do Not Endorse TBS's '#1Hapsida' Election Interference Attempt"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] On the 11th, members of the People Power Party belonging to the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee stated that the Central Election Commission's conclusion that the '#1Hapsida' campaign by TBS to increase YouTube subscribers does not constitute preliminary electioneering is unacceptable, urging to "actively investigate TBS and completely reorganize the Internet Election Reporting Deliberation Committee."

In a statement released that day, they said, "TBS has been continuously and repeatedly displaying the number '1,' which has no direct relevance to the subscription encouragement campaign," adding, "Many citizens cannot help but associate this with the Democratic Party of Korea's symbol. However, the Election Commission is completely denying the common sense and perception of the public."

They pointed out, "The Election Commission cited Supreme Court precedents, stating that TBS's campaign was not intended to influence the outcome of a specific candidate in a particular election and that the campaign was voluntarily stopped, thus not considering it as preliminary electioneering and closing the case internally," calling it "an abuse of authority that betrays the sacred values and political neutrality duties bestowed by the Constitution."

They demanded, "The Election Commission should not condone the left-leaning media's attempt to interfere in elections with unclear legal grounds but immediately investigate all allegations according to law and principles," and called for "the replacement of the chairman and all members of the Internet Election Reporting Deliberation Committee under Article 8-5 of the Public Official Election Act and the immediate restoration of the committee's original functions."

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