"Nam Young-hee, who said 'Three ballot boxes disappeared,' accepts results after the Election Commission found them"

Incheon Dong·Michuhol-gu Eul "3 Ballot Boxes Disappeared" Allegation Raised
Election Commission Found Missing Ballot Boxes After 8 AM
Yoon Sang-hyun of People Power Party Wins by 1,025 Votes

Nam Young-hee, the Democratic Party candidate who lost to Yoon Sang-hyun of the People Power Party in Incheon Dong- and Michuhol-gu Eul, raised concerns about the missing 3 out of 7 out-of-district early voting boxes, discussing a recount before ultimately conceding. The two candidates received 50.44% and 49.55% of the votes respectively, with a margin of 1,025 votes.

(From the left) Nam Young-hee, the Democratic Party candidate, and Yoon Sang-hyun, the People Power Party candidate, who faced off in Incheon Dong and Michuhol-gu Eul.
[Photo by Candidate's Blog]

On the 11th, Nam appeared on the YouTube channel 'Kim Eo-jun's Humility is Difficult News Factory' to raise these suspicions. Nam claimed, "I confirmed that there were 7 out-of-district early voting boxes, but when I received and organized the tally sheets, boxes 1 to 3 were missing."

Nam stated, "They said the tallying of out-of-district early votes was complete, but out of about 12,200 total voters, we only confirmed the counting of about 7,000 ballots," adding, "When I raised the issue that boxes 1 to 3 were missing with 5,000 ballots remaining, the election commission members brought tally sheets stamped with the official seal to show us." She further said, "Observers from the People Power Party also said, 'We couldn't confirm those boxes either.'" Although the stamped tally sheets were verified, the actual ballot boxes to compare the numbers had disappeared.

Nam claimed, "We requested the ballot boxes to be handed over, but the election commission members said they didn't know where those boxes were and are still searching for them as of now." When the host asked, "Has this been confirmed with the election commission?" Nam replied, "Yes." She continued, "We requested a recount by finding the 3 out-of-district ballot boxes, and initially, the election commission members said they would accept it, but when the People Power Party protested, they decided to drop it."

When host Kim Eo-jun responded, "That sounds strange even according to the counting procedures I know," Nam agreed, saying, "It's very strange. Every time the out-of-district early voting boxes are opened, I am ahead by about 300 votes, so the People Power Party is suddenly preventing a recount." She added, "The standoff has continued for 5 hours. The People Power Party is protesting, asking why they should comply with the Democratic Party's request, and the election commission staff are still searching for those boxes," explaining the situation.

Nam said, "When I saw the exit poll showing a 6.5 percentage point difference, I thought my victory was almost certain and cheered with joy," adding, "During the counting process, the vote gap gradually widened, but there was great hope that opening the early voting boxes would reverse the result." She continued, "However, since 3 of those boxes disappeared, this is a very important situation for me," and insisted, "We need to find those boxes and conduct a recount. We just want to verify."

Election Commission Finds Missing 3 Ballot Boxes After 8 a.m.

Yoon Sang-hyun, the People Power Party candidate elected in Dong and Michuhol-gu Eul, Incheon.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Meanwhile, the election commission reportedly found the missing 3 ballot boxes after 8 a.m. During this process, some of Nam’s supporters voiced their outrage in front of the counting center, calling for a full recount. Nam’s camp briefly discussed a recount after hearing supporters’ opinions but ultimately conveyed their acceptance of the results.

Yoon, who was declared the winner at 3:30 a.m. that day, expressed his gratitude. He said, "The election process confirmed the seriousness of public sentiment," adding, "I do not think I won. I believe I was harshly reprimanded. Regardless of my survival, we suffered a crushing defeat. I bow my head once again to apologize for failing to properly understand the will of the people." Yoon also extended his sincere condolences to Nam.

Four years ago, in the 21st general election, Nam also faced Yoon and recorded the smallest vote margin nationwide with a difference of 171 votes. Earlier exit polls by the three major broadcasters predicted Nam would lead with 53.2% over Yoon’s 46.9%, but the actual results were the exact opposite. With Nam’s concession, Yoon Sang-hyun of the People Power Party secured his fifth term.