"Democratic Party Showed Courage in Tough Districts"...
"Rather an Act That Provokes Backlash" Sparks Debate
On the day of the general election, a voter wearing blue clothes, the symbolic color of the Democratic Party of Korea, was spotted walking near a polling station in Daegu carrying a shopping bag labeled 'DIOR' with green onions inside, drawing attention.
On the 10th, the day of the 22nd general election voting, a voter wearing blue clothes and holding a paper bag labeled "DIOR" was spotted near a polling station in Daegu. [Image source=Online community capture]
On the 10th, the day of the 22nd general election voting, a photo titled 'Polling Station Warrior' was shared on an online community. The photo, taken near a polling station in Daegu, showed a voter walking in a unique outfit. The voter wore a bread-shaped mask on their head, a blue baseball jumper, a blue skirt, and blue high heels. They were also holding a blue balloon in their right hand. On their left shoulder, they carried a shopping bag labeled 'DIOR,' inside of which green onions were placed.
Netizens reacted with comments such as "Does the bread symbolize a curse or mean 'go to jail'?", "Were they trying to say 'vote all for the Democratic Party' (meaning vote for both the district and proportional representation candidates of the Democratic Party)?", "Brave, considering this is Daegu," "The best fashion of the year," and "This is satire." Some also expressed opposing views, saying, "It rather creates resentment," and "It makes me think I don't want to be associated with such people."
Previously, the National Election Commission regarded green onions, which became controversial due to President Yoon Seok-yeol's remark about 'green onions costing 875 won,' as political expressions and restricted their entry into polling stations according to internal guidelines. The commission stated that political acts protesting specific parties or candidates at polling stations could psychologically influence other voters and violate the principle of secret voting, thus green onions must be restricted under the Public Official Election Act. Therefore, even if voters bring green onions to the polling station, they cannot take them inside. Because of this, during early voting on the 5th and 6th, various social media posts showed voters carrying bags with green onion-shaped dolls or shopping bags labeled 'DIOR' when entering polling stations, mocking suspicions about Kim Geon-hee's luxury bag possession.
Article 166 of the Public Official Election Act prohibits behaviors supporting or opposing specific parties or candidates or displaying marks that could influence elections inside early voting stations or polling stations. Violations are punishable by imprisonment of up to two years or fines up to 4 million won.
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