40s YouTuber Arrested for Installing Illegal Cameras at Polling Station: "To Monitor the Election Commission"

Illegal Camera Found at Early Voting Stations in Incheon and Yangsan
YouTuber Secretly Installed Camera After Breaking In... When Asked Why
"To Prevent the Election Commission from Manipulating Early Voting Rates"

With the April 10 general election just ten days away, a commotion occurred when a man in his 40s, a YouTuber, was caught by the police after secretly breaking into early voting stations and installing illegal cameras.

During the 20th presidential election, Jongno-gu Office staff were setting up a polling station at the Cheongunhyoja-dong Community Center in Jongno-gu, Seoul.
[Photo by Kim Hyunmin, Asia Economy]

On the 29th, the Nonhyeon Police Station in Incheon announced that they had arrested and were investigating a man identified as A (in his 40s) on charges of trespassing and violating the Communications Privacy Protection Act. A is suspected of recently breaking into a total of five early voting stations at administrative welfare centers in Namdong-gu and Gyeyang-gu, Incheon, and installing illegal cameras.

The police responded to reports of illegal camera installations by actively investigating, including reviewing nearby CCTV footage, and apprehended A at his home in Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do, around 9:40 p.m. the previous day.

The centers where the cameras were installed include two locations in Jangsu and Seochang-dong, Seochang 2-dong in Namdong-gu, and three locations in Gyeyang-gu: Gyesan 1, 2, and 4-dong. The cameras were reportedly installed near water purifiers and other spots inside the voting stations to capture footage of the interior.

Earlier, suspicious camera-like objects were also found at four voting stations in Yangsan, Gyeongnam. The police are investigating under the presumption that A committed these offenses as well. A, who is active as a YouTuber, claimed at the time of arrest that he intended to monitor the election commission’s manipulation of early voting rates.

A police official stated, "There is a possibility that A installed cameras at early voting stations in regions other than Incheon and Yangsan," adding, "We plan to investigate whether there were accomplices and the specific motives behind the crimes."

Meanwhile, taking photos of marked ballots with a mobile phone or camera during voting is considered public voting and results in invalidation. Additionally, under Article 167 of the Public Official Election Act, anyone who photographs a ballot faces imprisonment of up to two years or a fine of up to 4 million won.