South Korean party leader Lee Jun-seok threatens legal action over early voting 'line-cutting' controversy
Translated from Korean, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
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- Reform Party leader Lee Jun-seok announced legal action against individuals spreading false information about him allegedly cutting in line during early voting.
- The controversy arose from a video showing a citizen protesting Lee's perceived lack of queuing, though the area reportedly had no line at the time.
- Lee presented statistical data from the National Election Commission to support his claim that a queue was improbable, vowing to submit evidence to investigators.
Lee Jun-seok, leader of the Reform Party, has vowed to take strong legal action against those spreading what he calls "false information" regarding an alleged "line-cutting" incident during early voting. The controversy erupted after a video circulated online showing a citizen confronting Lee at a polling station in Dongtan 9-dong, Hwaseong City, on the first day of early voting, April 29.
Even accounts that spread false information last night quietly deleted their posts, but since it is an act that affects the election, I will include all accounts that quietly deleted their posts as election criminals.
The citizen in the video questioned why Lee was not waiting in line. However, Lee and his party maintain that there was no queue at the time, and the citizen misinterpreted the situation. Lee had previously addressed the issue on Facebook, posting a video titled "How can you line up when there's no line?"
On April 30, as the controversy persisted, Lee reiterated his stance and announced his intention to file a complaint. He cited statistical data from the National Election Commission, indicating that 74 people had voted using six verification machines between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. at that specific polling station. "It is common sense that there could not have been a line," Lee stated.
How can you line up when there's no line?
Lee plans to submit this statistical data, along with other evidence, to investigative authorities on the following Monday. He emphasized that spreading misinformation to influence an election constitutes an election crime, and even accounts that have since deleted their posts will be pursued.
It is common sense that there could not have been a line.
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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