A YouTuber in his 40s who installed illegal cameras at the April 10 general election polling stations appeared at the Incheon District Court on the afternoon of the 31st for a pre-arrest detention hearing.
A, in his 40s, who is accused of trespassing and violating the Communications Privacy Protection Act, appeared before the media for the first time wearing a hat and mask to minimize facial exposure.
When asked by reporters, "Why did you install the cameras?" A replied, "I wanted to check the number of early voters. The early voting numbers were suspiciously different from the main voting day." When asked if he conspired with a man who rode in a car with him in Yangsan, Gyeongnam, he said, "No, I did not."
The detention hearing began at 2 p.m. that day, presided over by Judge Lee Min-young of the Incheon District Court, and the decision on detention is expected to be made late in the afternoon.
A YouTuber in his 40s, accused of installing illegal cameras at polling stations during the April 10 general election, is entering the Incheon District Court on the afternoon of the 31st to undergo a pre-arrest detention hearing (warrant review). [Photo by Yonhap News]
A is accused of secretly entering about 40 early voting stations nationwide, including in Seoul, Busan, Incheon, Gyeongnam, Daegu, and Gyeonggi, from early this month until recently, and installing illegal cameras.
A disguised the cameras, which were in the form of charging adapters, by attaching stickers with the names of specific telecom companies to make them look like communication devices. Many of the cameras were installed near water dispensers or other places inside the polling stations to capture footage.
As a YouTuber, A continuously raised suspicions of election fraud, and it was confirmed that he also installed cameras inside early voting stations during the 2022 presidential election and last year's by-election for the Gangseo District Office in Seoul.
He claimed that the number of votes announced by the Election Commission differed from the number of voters captured on his camera footage and posted videos requesting an investigation by the Supreme Prosecutors' Office.
At the police station, A claimed, "I wanted to monitor the Election Commission's manipulation of early voting rates," and said, "I chose installation locations based on my own judgment criteria for places I wanted to monitor."
Illegal Camera Found at Yangsan Early Voting Station Photo by Yonhap News / Provided by Gyeongnam Police Agency
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