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🇰🇷 South Korea /Elections & Politics

Ruling Party Cites Identical Vote Counts, Demands Election Rerun; Commissions Cite Coincidence

From Hankyoreh · () Korean

Translated from Korean, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Official statement Context piece
  • A ruling party official claimed identical vote counts in advance voting for different regions suggest election fraud, demanding a nationwide rerun.
  • Election commissions in Incheon and Jeonnam refuted the claims, stating the identical results were coincidental and that detailed tallies showed differences.
  • The opposition party criticized the ruling party's call to include the president in a potential investigation as politically motivated.

Jang Dong-hyuk, the leader of the People Power Party, has raised concerns over identical vote counts in advance voting for different electoral districts, suggesting potential election manipulation and calling for a nationwide rerun. He cited an instance in the Incheon mayoral election where advance votes for the ruling and opposition candidates were identical in two districts, claiming the probability of such an occurrence is extremely low.

The probability is 1 in 590 million.

— Jang Dong-hyukPeople Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyuk cited the statistical improbability of identical vote counts.

Jang also pointed to ten areas in the Gwangju-Jeonnam integrated mayoral election where vote counts for the two main candidates were the same. He argued that these statistical anomalies, coupled with previous issues like ballot shortages, warrant a nationwide election rerun and a special prosecutor investigation. The ruling party leader presented these claims at a press conference in the National Assembly.

However, the Incheon and Jeonnam Election Commissions swiftly countered Jang's allegations. The Incheon commission confirmed the identical vote counts for the two main candidates in the specified districts but highlighted that the total number of voters and the counts for other candidates, as well as invalid and abstention votes, differed. They attributed the identical results for the two candidates to "coincidence."

The identical results in advance voting in Songdo 1 and 2 districts, claimed to be manipulated, are a coincidence. The total number of voters and other vote counts are different.

— Incheon Election CommissionThe Incheon Election Commission explained the discrepancy in vote counts.

Similarly, the Jeonnam commission explained that while vote counts for the two main candidates were identical in certain areas, the total electorate and the votes for other candidates varied. They detailed the secure procedures for ballot handling and counting, emphasizing that the matching results were purely coincidental. The commissions urged against spreading unsubstantiated doubts about the election results, providing original tally sheets as evidence.

The results matching in different locations, counted by different people with different equipment, are simply a coincidence.

— Jeonnam Election CommissionThe Jeonnam Election Commission addressed the claims of identical vote counts.
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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