Taebaek City Hall billboard congratulates mayor before vote, sparking election interference controversy

A controversy has erupted in the South Korean city of Taebaek after a public electronic billboard at the city hall displayed a congratulatory message for the incumbent mayor, Lee Sang-ho, just one day before local elections. The message, "Congratulations on Mayor Lee Sang-ho's election," along with a photo of the candidate and a bouquet of flowers, was broadcast on the city hall's screen on June 2.

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It is a serious infringement of election fairness to post a message predicting the election of a specific candidate before the results are known.

The opposition Democratic Party's provincial chapter in Gangwon strongly condemned the display, issuing a statement that called it a "serious infringement of election fairness." They accused the city administration of potentially mobilizing public officials for organized election interference, suggesting the incident was more than a personal mistake. The party demanded a clear investigation and public disclosure of the matter, denouncing Taebaek City for "staining" the local elections with "official interference."

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This is proof that suspicions of organized election intervention using Taebaek City officials are becoming closer to the truth.

In response, Lee Sang-ho, the People Power Party candidate for Taebaek mayor, vehemently denied any connection to the billboard's message. He issued his own statement asserting his complete lack of involvement and characterizing the accusations of organized intervention as "political maneuvering." Lee stated that any administrative errors made by the city government should be handled internally according to laws and principles, and that he would cooperate with any investigation.

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This is no different from political maneuvering to distort the fact that the billboard posting has nothing to do with me.