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South Koreans fined for attempting to vote twice in presidential election
🇰🇷 South Korea /Elections & Politics

South Koreans fined for attempting to vote twice in presidential election

From Dong-A Ilbo · () Korean

Translated from Korean, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Outcome reported
  • Two individuals, a woman in her 60s and a man in his 20s, have received identical 1 million won fines in their second trial for attempting to vote twice in the last presidential election.
  • The woman used her driver's license to vote at one polling station and then attempted to vote again using her resident registration card at another.
  • The man voted in one district and then tried to vote again in a different district days later, with both defendants' claims of error or ignorance being dismissed by the courts.

A South Korean court has upheld fines for two individuals who attempted to cast multiple votes during the last presidential election, emphasizing the importance of the one-person, one-vote principle. The appellate court confirmed the 1 million won ($720) fines for both a woman in her 60s and a man in his 20s, mirroring the sentences from their initial trials.

The woman, during the 21st presidential election, first voted at an early voting station in Goyang using her driver's license. The following day, she proceeded to another early voting station in Hwaseong and attempted to vote again, presenting her resident registration card. When election officials pointed out she had already voted, she claimed she had lost her driver's license and later stated she was going to the bank.

Despite her defense of health-related confusion, the first trial court found her actions intentional, noting her repeated requests for information regarding election management processes, which indicated a high level of interest and awareness. The appellate court agreed, stating her actions undermined the principle of one person, one vote and carried significant culpability.

The defendants' actions undermined the principle of one person, one vote, and their culpability is not light.

— Appellate courtExplaining the reasoning behind upholding the fines for attempting to vote twice.

The man, also during the presidential election period, cast his vote in Siheung. Four days later, he visited a polling station in Hwaseong and attempted to vote again using his identification. Initially, he claimed he was only trying to "check if voting was possible" twice, later changing his statement to suggest he thought he was supposed to vote twice. The court found it difficult to accept the explanation of a highly educated individual claiming ignorance of election regulations.

While the appellate court acknowledged that the defendants did not receive actual ballots, thus not affecting the election outcome, it maintained that their attempts to circumvent the voting process warranted the fines. The court stated that the culpability was not light, given the violation of the fundamental electoral principle.

It is difficult to accept the defense of a highly educated individual claiming ignorance of the relevant regulations.

— First trial courtRegarding the man's claim of not knowing the rules against voting twice.
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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