Kim Woong: "Election Commission Describes Protesting Voters as 'Rioters'"

Disclosure of Q&A During Election Commission Protest Visit

Members of the People Power Party, including Kim Woong, Kim Eun-hye, Yoo Kyung-joon, and Lee Young, who visited the Central Election Commission in Gwacheon-si, Gyeonggi-do, are protesting and meeting with election commission officials regarding the 'early voting mismanagement controversy.' / Photo by Yoo Kyung-joon

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] Members of the People Power Party (PPP) have criticized the National Election Commission (NEC) over allegations of poor management of voting by COVID-19 confirmed patients and quarantined individuals during the early voting process for the 20th presidential election. In particular, they condemned the NEC for using the term "riot" to describe voters.

On the 6th, PPP lawmaker Kim Woong wrote on his Facebook, "This is the result of a protest visit to the NEC. I briefly summarized the Q&A with Kim Se-hwan, Secretary General of the Central Election Commission," adding, "When I asked why they violated Article 157, Paragraph 4 of the Public Official Election Act, which states that 'voters must directly insert the ballot paper into the ballot box,' they replied, 'We acted according to the law and principles.'"

He continued, "When I asked if that was a violation of the Public Official Election Act and whether it was truly in accordance with law and principles, they responded that 'there are no regulations regarding temporary voting booths.'"

Additionally, Secretary General Kim explained that when asked why ballot papers stamped with the name of Lee Jae-myung (the Democratic Party presidential candidate) were found inside the envelopes, he said, "The manager collected three ballot papers, put two into the ballot box, and left one out," adding, "The manager testified as such."

Regarding the question, "According to current law, ballots for early voting are printed on-site, so why were ballots belonging to other people found?" the answer was, "It seems that confirmed patients caused a disturbance insisting on putting ballots directly into the ballot box and left the printed ballots behind."

When lawmakers asked again, "Did you really describe the people as rioters?" Secretary General Kim reportedly answered, "Yes."

Assemblyman Kim Woong disclosed the Q&A content during the protest visit on his Facebook on the 6th. / Photo by Assemblyman Kim Woong Facebook capture

Earlier, PPP lawmakers including Kim Woong, Kim Eun-hye, Yoo Kyung-joon, and Lee Young visited the Central Election Commission in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, around 9:45 p.m. the previous day to protest the poor management of early voting.

The controversy arose as voting for COVID-19 confirmed patients began at 5 p.m. that day. Early voting for confirmed patients and quarantined individuals was conducted at polling stations nationwide.

The issue lies in the fact that, unlike the usual method where voters directly place their ballots into the ballot box after voting in the booth, confirmed patients voted in specially prepared temporary voting booths, after which election officials collected the ballots. Some voters raised concerns about the possibility of election fraud and voiced their protests.

Additionally, at a temporary voting booth in Seoul, ballots marked for a specific candidate were distributed, leading to voter protests and a temporary suspension of voting, among other disturbances.

Amid growing controversy, the NEC issued an official statement on the 6th, saying, "We deeply regret and apologize for the inconvenience caused to COVID-19 confirmed voters during early voting," adding, "This election saw the highest early voting turnout ever, and due to the high participation enthusiasm, limited election staff, and polling station facilities, there were shortcomings in managing early voting for confirmed voters."

However, the NEC drew a clear line regarding the possibility of election fraud. It explained, "The temporary voting booth method used this time was in accordance with laws and regulations, and the presence of party-nominated observers was guaranteed throughout the process, so there is absolutely no possibility of fraud."

It further emphasized, "The commission takes this matter seriously and will accurately identify and thoroughly review the revealed issues to promptly prepare measures so that citizens can vote with confidence on election day."

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