[Reporter’s Notebook] When the “Flower of Democracy” Was Placed in a Basket, Who Bears Responsibility?

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Gyumin] Ballots were placed in plastic baskets, and someone else put the ballots into the ballot box. Ballots were ‘lost.’ Voters who intended to vote were classified as deceased and omitted from the voter list.

Since the first presidential election of the Republic of Korea in 1948, 74 years have passed, and this has become a ‘common’ sight at polling stations. On the 5th, controversy arose over poor management during on-site early voting by COVID-19 confirmed and quarantined individuals. The problem began when a separate temporary voting booth was created for them during the time when general voters could also vote. They expressed outrage, saying that the principles of direct election and secret ballot, two of the four fundamental principles of elections, were not upheld. Due to the risk of COVID-19 infection, election officials placed envelopes containing their ballots into baskets or cardboard boxes before putting them into the ballot box, resulting in a farcical situation.

The National Election Commission (NEC) also failed to properly anticipate the situation. The NEC made incorrect predictions, estimating about 20 confirmed/quarantined voters per polling station and calculating voting time as 5 minutes per person.

The Election Commission and related agencies also showed signs of evading responsibility. During coverage related to the ‘loss’ of ballots, explanations from the district election commission and the higher-level election commission did not match. Attempts to contact the post office responsible for handling early voting ballots to hear about the situation at the time were met with a staff member stating that “there is no obligation to answer calls on holidays.”

Moreover, No Jeonghee, Chairperson of the Central Election Commission, who is ultimately responsible for election management, was revealed to have not even come to work on the 5th, when the controversy over confirmed cases voting occurred, citing her status as a ‘non-regular employee.’ The Central Election Commission stated in a press release on the 6th, “We deeply regret and apologize for the inconvenience caused during early voting.”

If they are truly sorry, the Election Commission should take responsibility first, and related agencies should also show a willingness to share responsibility. This is necessary to uphold the four fundamental principles of elections taught in elementary school social studies classes.

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