Three Constitutional Court Justice Nominees on 'Election Fraud' Allegations: "No Proven Evidence"

On the 16th, the Constitutional Court in Jongno-gu, Seoul, is conducting related procedures for a swift trial ahead of the full impeachment trial of President Yoon Seok-yeol. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung

Three candidates for Constitutional Court justices expressed disagreement with the "election fraud allegations," which President Yoon Seok-yeol cited as one of the reasons for declaring martial law.

According to a statement received by Kim Han-gyu, a member of the National Assembly's Special Committee on the Confirmation Hearing for Constitutional Court justice candidates from the Democratic Party of Korea, on the 16th, the candidates responded that the election fraud allegations were "not true."

Cho Han-chang, a candidate recommended by the People Power Party, stated, "Numerous lawsuits seeking to nullify the 22nd National Assembly election and the 20th presidential election were filed, but all were dismissed by the courts," adding, "As far as I know, the election fraud allegations have not been concretely proven."

He continued, "The Constitution establishes the National Election Commission as a constitutional institution to ensure fair election management, and various provisions in the Public Official Election Act and other election-related laws are in place to prevent election fraud and secure election fairness," adding, "We are not neglecting vigilance against election fraud."

Jung Gye-seon, a candidate recommended by the Democratic Party, said, "All the numerous election nullification lawsuits filed in court were dismissed, and as far as I know, the election fraud allegations were not concretely proven during this process," adding, "As a candidate for Constitutional Court justice, I respect the court's rulings."

Ma Eun-hyeok, another candidate recommended by the Democratic Party, stated, "Since this is a politically controversial issue and could be a point of contention in the ongoing impeachment trial, I am cautious about expressing a personal opinion," but added, "I believe our country has reflected on and maintained vigilance against election fraud, such as the 3·15 election fraud, better than any other country."

The ruling and opposition parties submitted the candidates' nomination proposals to the National Assembly on the 9th. According to the Confirmation Hearing Act, the National Assembly must hold confirmation hearings by the 24th, within 15 days from the date the nomination proposals are referred.