Kim Ki-hyun "Worse than Class President Election"... Urges Withdrawal of Reduced Voting Time for Confirmed Patients' Outings

"Greater Restrictions Imposed Again on Main Voting Rights"

Kim Ki-hyun, floor leader of the People Power Party, is delivering opening remarks at the floor strategy meeting held at the National Assembly on the 11th. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Hyun-joo] Kim Ki-hyun, the floor leader of the People Power Party, urged on the 8th, "Immediately revoke the shortened allowed outing time for COVID-19 positive voters."

On that day, Kim posted on his Facebook, stating, "I am furious at the unbearable irresponsibility and complacency of No Jeong-hee, the head of the National Election Commission (NEC)."

He pointed out, "This time, the NEC plans to delay the allowed outing time for confirmed voters on the actual voting day from the original 5:30 PM to 5:50 PM," adding, "Despite the NEC's poor election management already imposing significant restrictions on early voting rights for confirmed voters, the NEC is now imposing even greater restrictions on exercising voting rights on the actual voting day."

Kim questioned, "If the number of confirmed voters who must vote on the actual voting day reaches millions, can we be confident that the precious suffrage of the people will be fully guaranteed with only a mere one hour of voting time?" He further asked, "Isn't there a very malicious political calculation to induce confirmed voters to give up voting or face voting obstacles, thereby creating a favorable situation for the ruling party's candidates?"

He lamented, "To prevent such a distrustful situation, which is worse than an elementary school class president election, I strongly insisted that the voting time for confirmed voters should be guaranteed for at least three hours from 6 PM to 9 PM." He added, "Due to the NEC's inertia and complacency, which opposed this, an anti-constitutional situation is unfolding where sufficient voting time is not granted." The voting time for COVID-19 confirmed and quarantined individuals on the actual voting day is from 6 PM to 7:30 PM.

He also said, "The voting time is already short, and not a single minute should be wasted. The NEC and quarantine authorities should immediately revoke the administrative convenience and anti-constitutional voting infringement act of changing the allowed outing time from 5:30 PM to 5:50 PM, and devise more effective and extraordinary measures."

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