What about overseas voters who voted for Ahn... Angry voters demand enactment of the 'Ahn Cheol-soo Act'

"Restrict Resignation After Overseas Korean Voting Ends"

Yoon Seok-yeol, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, and Ahn Cheol-soo, the presidential candidate of the People’s Party, are posing after concluding a unification press conference at the National Assembly Communication Office on the morning of the 3rd. Photo by the National Assembly Press Photographers Group

[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] As Yoon Seok-yeol, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, and Ahn Cheol-soo, the presidential candidate of the People’s Party, have declared unification, citizens who voted for Ahn in the overseas voting held from the 23rd to the 28th of last month are raising complaints.

On the Blue House petition board on the 3rd, a post titled "Please enact the 'Ahn Cheol-soo Law' to restrict candidate withdrawal after the overseas voting ends" was uploaded.

The petitioner, Mr. A, stated, "With less than a week remaining until the 20th presidential election, People’s Party candidate Ahn Cheol-soo announced unification with People Power Party candidate Yoon Seok-yeol. The overseas voting was completed from February 23 to 28, but under the current situation, those who cast their votes for candidate Ahn will have their votes automatically invalidated regardless of the voters’ intentions."

He continued, "Those who have experience know that overseas voting is not easy," and explained, "For those living far from embassies, many take buses, trains, and even airplanes costing several million won to reach the polling stations."

He emphasized, "Because voters understand how valuable their vote is to democracy, they willingly endure such long journeys to cast their ballots."

Photo by Cheongwadae National Petition Capture

Mr. A criticized, "The two candidates trampled on the sincerity of the voters. Even though voting was completed, the unification is an insult to the voters and a mockery of the Korean election system."

He added, "If such a precedent is set, in future elections, there will be cases where candidates suddenly withdraw after overseas voting, so how can overseas voters feel secure when voting? For the true protection of overseas voters’ voting rights, please enact the 'Ahn Cheol-soo Law' to restrict candidate withdrawal deadlines to before overseas voting."

Meanwhile, according to the National Election Commission, on the main voting day, the 9th, a notice of Ahn’s withdrawal will be posted in a clearly visible place inside polling stations. Although Ahn’s name will remain on the ballot and the voting box will be left blank, votes cast for him will be invalidated, so caution is advised. This is because the ballots have already been printed and cannot indicate 'withdrawn.'

On the other hand, early voting ballots are printed on-site, so marking 'withdrawn' is possible. This also applies to Kim Dong-yeon, the New Wave candidate who withdrew due to unification with Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate.

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