Found Convenience Store Employee Name in Voter List... Election Commission Staff Visited Home

Sending a Letter by Address and Visiting in Person

An election commission employee who viewed personal information of individuals listed in the voter registry, sent letters, and even visited them in person was sentenced to a fine.

According to the legal community on the 21st, Judge Kim Sang-il of the Criminal Division 1 at the Seoul Central District Court sentenced A, a 40-year-old Seoul election commission employee, to a fine of 10 million KRW for violating the Personal Information Protection Act.

After the Seoul mayoral by-election, in May 2021, A reviewed the voter registry to analyze voter turnout. The voter registry contains the name, address, date of birth, gender, and other information of eligible voters.

Voter List [Image Source=Yonhap News]

During the review, A found the name of B, a convenience store employee whom he frequently visited, in the voter registry. Convenience store employees generally wear name tags, so A knew B’s name.

After confirming B’s address listed next to the name, A wrote and sent a letter to B around June 15 of the same year. Additionally, in April of the following year, A personally visited the address and left a letter and hairpins.

Eventually, A was caught after B filed a complaint, which led to an investigation. The prosecution indicted A in December last year on charges of using personal information for purposes other than those provided.

The court explained the sentencing by stating, “It is a serious offense for a public official to use personal information for purposes other than intended,” but also considered that “A did not disclose the personal information to a third party, and B, who reached a settlement, did not wish for punishment.”