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🇰🇷 South Korea /Elections & Politics

Na Kyung-won: 'Amend Election Law to Pave Way for Reruns'; Party Divided on Seoul Mayor Race

From Hankyoreh · () Korean

Translated from Korean, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Opposition lawmakers are pushing for revisions to the Public Official Election Act to allow for election reruns, arguing that current laws make it nearly impossible to hold such elections in South Korea.
  • Representative Na Kyung-won stated that amending the election law to enable reruns is the first step, emphasizing that the current "unless it affects the election results" clause in the law presents an unprovable challenge for voters who were unable to cast ballots.
  • While some within the party support the push for reruns, others, like Representative Kim Jae-seop, oppose a rerun for the Seoul mayoral election, suggesting that reruns should be considered only for specific local council seats affected by the ballot shortage.

Members of the People Power Party are advocating for amendments to the Public Official Election Act to facilitate election reruns, citing the ballot shortage incident in the June 3 local elections. They argue that the current legal framework makes it exceedingly difficult to nullify election results and order a new vote.

Legally speaking, based on the current Public Official Election Act and existing precedents, a rerun is fundamentally difficult to achieve in South Korea. An amendment to the election law that allows for a rerun is the first step.

— Na Kyung-wonExplaining the need to reform election laws to enable reruns.

Representative Na Kyung-won, speaking at an emergency forum, declared that amending the election law to allow for reruns is a priority. She asserted that under existing laws and precedents, reruns are virtually impossible in South Korea. Na highlighted the problematic clause in Article 224 of the Public Official Election Act, which states that election irregularities only lead to a nullification or rerun if they are found to have "affected the election results." She argued that this condition creates an insurmountable burden of proof for voters who were disenfranchised.

Co-host Representative Cho Bae-sook echoed the sentiment, noting the public's demand for reruns from the ongoing protests. However, she acknowledged the legal complexities and the potential for disappointment if political circles do not address the issue satisfactorily. Cho stressed the need to identify and rectify the shortcomings in the current election laws.

The clause 'unless it affects the election results' presents an issue of unprovable difficulty regarding how to calculate voters who could not vote.

— Na Kyung-wonHighlighting a specific legal barrier to election reruns.

Party leader Jang Dong-hyuk reiterated the party's stance, emphasizing that a rerun is the most urgent issue. However, some within the party expressed reservations. Representative Kim Jae-seop argued against a rerun for the Seoul mayoral election, suggesting that while reruns for specific local council seats affected by the ballot shortage might be considered, a mayoral rerun is not feasible unless the incumbent mayor resigns and requests one. The minor Reform Party proposed a "selective rerun" for polling stations that actually experienced ballot shortages and plans to file an election appeal.

The most important, urgent, and primary issue to resolve is a rerun.

— Jang Dong-hyukEmphasizing the party's focus on election reruns.
DistantNews Editorial

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

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