"No Other Intentions... Misrepresented Situation"
The representative of a nursing facility, who was transporting elderly people by van to an early voting station in Incheon amid allegations of 'voter ferrying,' expressed frustration, claiming they were simply assisting seniors with mobility difficulties.
According to reports from Ganghwa County, Incheon, on the 9th, a video titled "Revealing the Truth About the News Article" was posted on the blog of a certain elderly care center in Ganghwa County the previous day.
Elderly people getting off a van. Photo by Jo Taeksang, Camp of Cho Taeksang, Democratic Party candidate for Jung-gu, Ganghwa, Ongjin, Yonhap News Agency
The center's representative, A, explained, "We requested the election commission to install a residential voting station within our center for the safety of the elderly, but were informed it was not possible since we are not a nursing home. On the early voting day, the 6th, we assisted only those seniors who wished to participate in voting during their commute to the center."
They added, "It is very unfair that our center is being portrayed as abusing the voting rights of the elderly for a specific political party. We merely helped those who have difficulty moving and are at risk of accidents if they travel alone to vote safely, with no other intentions whatsoever," emphasizing this point repeatedly.
Currently, the police are conducting a preliminary investigation into representative A on suspicion of transporting voters by van to early voting stations, which may violate the Public Official Election Act.
Representative A is suspected of moving elderly voters by van between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. on the 6th in Ganghwa County, Incheon, to the Songhae-myeon and Ganghwa-eup voting stations. Under the Public Official Election Act, transporting voters by vehicle to polling stations for the purpose of voting or election can be considered bribery or inducement.
The Incheon City Election Commission stated that while official vehicle support is provided on voting day for voters with mobility difficulties such as the disabled or pregnant women, any other vehicle support may be illegal.
The police plan to investigate representative A soon to clarify the exact circumstances of the case.
Meanwhile, Cho Taeksang, the Democratic Party candidate for Jung-gu, Ganghwa, and Ongjin in Incheon, held a press conference the previous day raising allegations of illegal election activities. Cho urged, "Immediately investigate the illegal election suspicions detected at the Ganghwa County early voting stations," and emphasized, "The Election Commission must prepare measures to prevent recurrence as concerns about illegal elections have been raised."
On the other hand, the People Power Party's Incheon City branch issued a statement the same day, criticizing, "Candidate Cho is spreading fake news by falsely claiming that 'Ganghwa County has been ferrying voters during every election,'" and urged, "Stop the election campaign that seems to be a conspiracy by the conservative camp to slander us."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
