"Suspicion of Ballot Box Swapping" Disruption... Commotion at Polling Stations Nationwide

Tearing Ballots and Starting Internet Broadcasts

On the 10th, the voting day of the 22nd National Assembly election, disturbances broke out at various polling stations nationwide, with people causing scenes and turning on internet broadcasts, suspecting election fraud.

On the 10th, the voting day for the 22nd National Assembly election, a voter is casting a ballot at a polling station in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul.
[Photo by Kang Jin-hyung]

According to the police and the Election Commission, at around 6:50 a.m. that day, an incident occurred at a polling station in Dong-gu, Gwangju, where a ballot paper was damaged. A man estimated to be in his 50s asked, "What should I do?" in the voting booth, and his mother requested help. When an election worker who witnessed this informed him that "if a third party sees the ballot, the ballot must be invalidated," the man tore up the ballot paper.

At a polling station in Gunsan, Jeonbuk, at around 10:50 a.m., a man in his 50s, Mr. A, damaged the ballot paper of his 20s-aged child. The Election Commission plans to invalidate the ballot as it was exposed. Also, incidents of damaging one's own ballot paper occurred at polling stations in Deokjin-gu, Jeonju, and Jeongeup-si.

The Election Commission will investigate the specific circumstances of the ballot damage and consider whether to file charges. According to the Public Official Election Act, damaging a ballot paper can result in imprisonment for one to ten years or a fine ranging from 5 million to 30 million won.

Additionally, incidents of filming inside polling stations occurred in Jeonju, Jeonbuk, and Busan. Mr. B was taken to the police station for voluntary accompaniment for violating the Public Official Election Act after filming at a polling station in Deokjin-gu, Jeonju, at 8:26 a.m. that day. Mr. C was caught filming a ballot paper at a polling station in Seo-gu, Busan, at 6:15 a.m. Since the photos were not disclosed externally, he was instructed to delete the photos, vote, and then leave. Under current law, filming ballot papers inside the voting booth is prohibited, and violators may face imprisonment for up to two years or a fine of up to 4 million won.

A YouTuber filming outside a polling station was also asked to leave. According to the Election Commission, at around 7:20 a.m. that day, a report was received that someone was filming a polling station on a road in Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju. Although this act was not a violation of election law, the Election Commission judged that it could psychologically affect voters and stopped the filming.

Police were dispatched due to disturbances caused at polling stations. At a polling station in Bupyeong-gu, Incheon, a man in his 70s, Mr. D, was arrested on suspicion of violating the Public Official Election Act after causing a commotion, claiming suspicion of ballot box tampering at around 10:13 a.m. Mr. D insisted that "the cover of the sealed part of the ballot box was shaking," raising suspicion.

At a polling station in Busanjin-gu, Busan, at around 7:30 a.m., a resident from another electoral district came to the polling station but was prevented from voting, causing a disturbance. At a polling station in Nam-gu, Busan, a drunken person caused a commotion, and the police took action. Causing disturbances at polling or counting stations can result in imprisonment for one to ten years or a fine ranging from 5 million to 30 million won.