Hwang Kyo-ahn's 'Election Fraud' Allegations Denied by People Power Party's Fair Election Promotion Team: "No Manipulation Occurred"

Kim Jae-won, Supreme Council Member and Head of the Public Election Promotion Team of the People Power Party, is announcing the results on October 11 at the National Assembly Communication Office in Yeouido, Seoul, regarding the allegations of fraudulent presidential primary elections raised by former leader Hwang Kyo-ahn. 2021.10.11 Photo by National Assembly Press Photographers Group [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Hyun-joo] The People Power Party's Fair Election Promotion Team has refuted the allegations of "election fraud" regarding the second round cut-off in the primary election raised by former United Future Party leader Hwang Kyo-ahn, stating that "there was no manipulation."

Kim Jae-won, a Supreme Council member and head of the Fair Election Promotion Team, held a press conference at the National Assembly on the 11th and dismissed the possibility of manipulation, saying, "We have not found any evidence of rank manipulation, opinion poll manipulation, or party member vote manipulation."

Earlier, former leader Hwang, who was eliminated in the second cut-off, raised suspicions of election fraud on the day the results were announced. He subsequently submitted a statement to the Fair Election Promotion Team, requesting the disclosure of raw data on the number of votes and vote percentages of the eight candidates who participated in the second primary, real-time log records stored on the mobile voting server, and the opinion poll questions and responses. He also asked for the basis for the disposal of opinion poll data and whether the party observed the process of extracting public opinion polls from the general public.

In response, Supreme Council member Kim said, "The Public Official Election Act prohibits the disclosure of opinion polls, and the party also banned the publication of such content," adding, "There is a legal interpretation that the disclosure of party member votes is also prohibited." He continued, "The disposal was intended to prevent external leakage, but the original data is retained by the party. When the final candidate is selected, the data is provided for election strategy purposes, so it has not been discarded at all," and stated, "These claims are factually incorrect, so there is no reason to assert them."

People Power Party's presidential primary candidate Hwang Kyo-ahn is giving a greeting at the 6th broadcast debate held at the Korean Broadcasting System studio in Yeouido, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 5th. 2021.10.5 Photo by National Assembly Press Photographers [Image source=Yonhap News]

Furthermore, Supreme Council member Kim said, "If candidate Hwang Kyo-ahn had presented reasonable grounds for suspicion and requested verification regarding the election fraud claims, a thorough investigation would have been necessary. However, aside from demands for data disclosure and the release of opinion poll data, there has been no substantial content," adding, "There is nothing more to explain on this matter." He also warned, "At the very least, evidence that warrants investigation by the Fair Election Promotion Team should be submitted. Continuing to claim election fraud without such evidence may constitute a serious violation."