A YouTuber who installed illegal cameras at more than 40 polling stations during the April 10 general election has been arrested.
On the 31st, the Nonhyeon Police Station in Incheon arrested a man in his 40s, identified as A, on charges including trespassing and violating the Communications Privacy Protection Act. Lee Min-young, the duty judge at the Incheon District Court, conducted a pre-arrest detention hearing for A that afternoon and issued the warrant, stating there was a risk of flight or evidence destruction.
Earlier, when A appeared at the court for the detention hearing, he responded to reporters' questions about why he installed the cameras by saying, "I wanted to check the number of early voters. I was suspicious because the early voting numbers differed significantly from the main voting day." When asked if he conspired with a man who rode in a car with him in Yangsan, Gyeongnam, he replied, "No."
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 suspected of secretly entering more than 40 early voting stations nationwide?including in Seoul, Busan, Incheon, Gyeongnam, Daegu, and Gyeonggi?from early this month until recently to install illegal cameras.
He disguised the cameras as communication devices by attaching stickers with the names of specific telecom companies to charger adapter-shaped cameras. Many of the cameras were found to be installed near water dispensers or other locations inside polling stations to capture footage of the interior.
As a YouTuber, A continuously raised allegations of election fraud. It was also confirmed that he 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 posted videos claiming that the number of votes announced by the Election Commission differed from the number of voters shown in the footage from his cameras, and requested an investigation by the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office.
During police questioning, 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 criteria for places I wanted to monitor."
Illegal Camera Found at Yangsan Early Voting Station [Image Source=Yonhap News / Provided by Gyeongnam Police Agency]
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
