[Backbriefing] Complaints of Frustration from the Election Commission... "Try Hacking It Yourself"

On the afternoon of the 28th, a demonstration event revealing the early voting, ballot sorting, and counting process was held for the media in the main conference room of the Central Election Commission in Gwacheon-si, Gyeonggi-do. The scene shows the disassembly of a ballot sorter laptop. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] “We clearly stated that we disassembled the hardware completely and confirmed that (hacking and wireless communication) are not possible. I hope those who claim (election fraud) suspicions provide concrete evidence.” (Head of Election Division 2)

On the afternoon of the 28th, a pre-voting station and a counting center were set up in the large conference room on the 2nd floor of the Gwacheon Central Election Commission building. The Election Commission held a public demonstration of pre-voting and vote counting to dispel suspicions of election fraud in the April 15 general election. The Commission appeared fully prepared, even preparing a 51-page booklet containing rebuttals to various allegations.

The Election Commission conducted a demonstration assuming 4 district candidates, 35 proportional representation parties, 4,000 voters, and 1,000 votes. Using the actual election equipment from this general election, they showed the entire process from issuing pre-voting ballots to counting votes. They also explained how the counting results are reported and disclosed through the counting reporting system. The demonstration lasted about three hours amid intense media interest.

On the afternoon of the 28th, at the Central Election Commission in Gwacheon-si, Gyeonggi-do, during the early voting and vote counting demonstration, a laptop installed in the ballot sorter was disassembled to show the absence of a network card. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

The biggest focus was undoubtedly the ‘disassembly of counting equipment.’ The Election Commission dismantled the ballot sorter, vote counting machine, laptops, and other devices on site to reveal their interiors. Those raising suspicions of election fraud claim that wireless communication devices are attached to the ballot sorter and vote counting machines. The Commission directly refuted this by showing that the laptops had their wireless LAN cards removed, making hacking or computer manipulation impossible. However, they acknowledged that wireless LAN cards were installed in the printers but stated that network functions were disabled during use. In fact, the software had no Wi-Fi setting function.

When questions about hacking suspicions persisted despite the disassembly of the counting equipment, the Election Commission expressed frustration. The Head of Election Division 2 said, “Claiming fraud based solely on suspicions is not logically explainable. Technically, it is also unacceptable. No one can access the equipment here in its current state. Why don’t you try hacking it now?”

On the afternoon of the 28th, a public demonstration of early voting and vote counting is taking place at the Central Election Commission in Gwacheon-si, Gyeonggi-do. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

The Election Commission also systematically rebutted various allegations such as 2D barcodes (QR codes) and ballot leakage. At the same time, they admitted to some management lapses, such as lost ballots. The Director of the Election Bureau stated, “It is unacceptable to highlight isolated incidents caused by a lack of overall understanding of election procedures or minor mistakes by election staff to raise suspicions of vote manipulation or to incite public opinion through dishonest means such as ballot theft.”

Although the Election Commission held the pre-voting and counting demonstration to resolve all suspicions this time, the controversy over election fraud does not seem likely to subside easily. Outside the Election Commission building, members of the Coalition for Fair Election Victory continued their rally demanding a thorough investigation into election fraud. They have been protesting daily in front of the Election Commission for about a month.