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Election commission apologizes for voter registry error; defeated candidate cries fraud
🇰🇷 South Korea /Elections & Politics

Election commission apologizes for voter registry error; defeated candidate cries fraud

From Dong-A Ilbo · () Korean

Translated from Korean, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News From a news agency Outcome reported
  • The North Chungcheong Election Commission apologized for a partial omission of the voter registry at a polling station during the June 3 local elections.
  • The omission, caused by a printer malfunction, meant that over 1,000 voters could not find their names on the registry initially.
  • Kim Young-hwan, who lost the gubernatorial election, called the incident "election fraud" and stated he cannot concede.

The North Chungcheong Election Commission has issued a public apology following an incident where a portion of the voter registry was omitted at a polling station during the June 3 local elections. The commission acknowledged that "insufficient preparation of the voter registry" at a specific polling station in Cheongju caused inconvenience and distress to residents, for which they "deeply apologize."

We deeply apologize for the inconvenience and concern caused to residents due to insufficient preparation of the voter registry.

— North Chungcheong Election CommissionOfficial apology for the registry omission incident.

The issue came to light around 6:10 AM on election day when a voter could not find their name on the registry after signing in. It was discovered that the registry was missing entries from number 2842 to 4137, affecting over 1,000 potential voters. The malfunction was attributed to a printer issue that prevented a full printout of the registry. Although a corrected registry was available by 6:40 AM, allowing voting to proceed, the initial delay and confusion impacted many.

The Election Commission stated that they made announcements to inform voters who had left and contacted identified voters multiple times to ensure they could cast their ballots. They confirmed that most affected voters eventually cast their ballots. The commission pledged to thoroughly investigate the cause and implement measures to prevent recurrence.

The 1,000 voters were told to wait for a reprint or come back in the afternoon. Many people had no choice but to give up voting.

— Kim Young-hwanDefeated gubernatorial candidate alleging voter disenfranchisement.

However, Kim Young-hwan, the defeated candidate for governor from the People Power Party, has labeled the incident as "election fraud." He claimed on Facebook that the missing registry entries prevented over 1,000 people from voting, forcing them to wait or return later, with many ultimately giving up. Kim declared that he "cannot concede" to an election he deems "an infringement of the right to participate in politics" and vowed to continue his "struggle until truth prevails and democracy is established."

I cannot concede to this election where the right to participate in politics was infringed.

— Kim Young-hwanDefeated gubernatorial candidate's statement on the election outcome and the registry incident.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Dong-A Ilbo in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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