Noh Tae-ak "Regretful about election fraud controversy... Will increase trust by making vote counting more transparent"

No Tae-ak, Chairman of the National Election Commission, announced on the 9th that the voting and counting procedures for the June 3 presidential election will be transparently disclosed to dispel any suspicions of election fraud.

In a message titled "A Statement to the People," Chairman No promised, "The Election Commission recognizes the gravity of this election held under serious circumstances and will fulfill its constitutional duties by managing it strictly and fairly."

Regarding the allegations of election fraud that were controversial even during the impeachment of former President Yoon Seok-yeol, he stated, "The controversy over election fraud has not easily subsided," and expressed regret, saying, "Despite numerous election fraud lawsuits being dismissed by the Supreme Court as baseless, such claims continue."

No Tae-ak, Chairman of the Central Election Commission, is delivering a public address related to the 21st presidential election at the Central Election Commission in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, on the 9th. Photo by Yonhap News.

In this context, Chairman No explained, "In all public elections, in addition to about 3,000 Election Commission staff nationwide, more than 300,000 external personnel participate as voting and counting officers, including local government and national public officials, public institution employees, school staff, and ordinary citizens. Furthermore, over 100,000 vote counting observers recommended by political parties and candidates oversee all voting and counting procedures. Because such a large number of personnel are involved in elections, election fraud as claimed by some cannot occur."

He added, "Of course, minor mistakes or errors may occur during the management of voting and counting by numerous external personnel, but these cannot lead to election fraud," and said, "The Election Commission deeply recognizes the importance of this presidential election held in a challenging political environment and will strive to increase public trust by making the voting and counting procedures more transparent."

Regarding this, an Election Commission official introduced, "In addition to 24-hour CCTV disclosure of ballot inspection and early voting storage locations, we will further disclose the voting and counting procedures transparently through demonstration sessions and the Fair Election Observation Group."