[AK Radio] No Exceptions for Conservatives or Progressives... The History of Election Fraud Conspiracy Theories

Allegations of Electronic Vote Counting Manipulation by the Grand National Party in 2002
Conspiracy Theories Supported by Figures Like Kim Eo-jun and Lee Jae-myung
President Yoon Raises the Issue Again, Amplifying Its Influence

President Yoon Suk-yeol appeared at the third hearing of the Constitutional Court on the 21st and once again raised suspicions of election fraud. Concerns are growing about the social impact of election fraud conspiracy theories. On December 3 last year, when martial law was declared, more than 500 military and police personnel were deployed to the Central Election Commission (CEC) in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, and the CEC training center. President Yoon continued to claim there was abundant evidence of election fraud in his statement on December 12 and in a letter made public 15 days after his arrest.

In modern Korean political history, election fraud conspiracy theories became prominent starting with the 16th presidential election in 2002. At that time, the Grand National Party, which was expected to win under the so-called "Lee Hoi-chang wave," lost by a margin of 570,980 votes and raised suspicions of electronic vote counting manipulation. Approximately 8,000 people were mobilized to manually recount over 11 million votes across 80 counting districts nationwide, but the results did not significantly change. Subsequently, Seo Cheong-won, then leader of the Grand National Party, took responsibility and resigned, apologizing to the public.

Notably, election fraud conspiracy theories have not been confined to the conservative camp. In the 18th presidential election in 2012, broadcaster Kim Eo-jun ignited conspiracy theories by raising the so-called "K-value suspicion," claiming that unclassified ballots from the vote sorting machines were biased toward candidate Park Geun-hye. Kim even produced a film titled The Plan based on this issue. In 2017, Lee Jae-myung, then mayor of Seongnam and current leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, also demanded manual recounts at polling stations, stating, "The 18th presidential election was a fraud surpassing the 3.15 election fraud. Evidence justifying suspicion of computerized vote counting fraud is emerging."

In the April 15, 2020 general election, after the Democratic Party faction won a landslide victory with 180 seats, the United Future Party raised the possibility of early voting manipulation. At that time, leader Hwang Kyo-ahn cited differences in vote percentages between early voting and the main election as grounds for suspicion, leading to 216 lawsuits being filed. However, on December 13, 2024, Kim Yong-bin, Secretary General of the Central Election Commission, testified before the National Assembly that "216 lawsuits related to claims of fraud in the April 15 election were all dismissed."

On the morning of January 3rd, as officials from the Corruption Investigation Office entered the presidential residence in Hannam-dong, Seoul, to execute an arrest warrant for President Yoon Seok-yeol, his supporters gathered near the residence, holding Taegeukgi and U.S. flags along with signs demanding verification of election fraud, shouting slogans. Photo by Heo Young-han

Claims of election fraud generally fall into four categories: early voting manipulation, electronic vote counting manipulation, hacking of the computerized system, and issues with election administration. The Election Commission maintains that these claims are practically impossible. "Election fraud would require large-scale, organized involvement of Election Commission staff and bribery of observers, which is realistically impossible," they state.

Especially after the impeachment of former President Park Geun-hye in 2017, suspicions of election fraud spread primarily through YouTube, forming a strong support base. A representative case is former lawmaker Min Kyung-wook’s lawsuit alleging manipulation of vote counting. The Supreme Court ruled that after verifying the QR codes on 45,000 early voting ballots, there were no serial numbers assigned by the Election Commission that Min claimed were unauthorized or duplicated.

According to a recent public opinion poll conducted by MBC and Korea Research International, 29% of adults nationwide and 51% of conservatives believe that election fraud occurred. This suggests that election fraud conspiracy theories have evolved beyond mere suspicion to become a phenomenon with significant social influence.

There are concerns that the spread of unverified claims could lead to dangerous situations, such as the recent violence at the Seoul Western District Court. Experts point out the need for proactive responses from related institutions centered on the Election Commission, along with efforts to restore trust throughout society.