Man Films Early Voting and Uploads Video to Chinese Social Media

Filming the Voting Process at an Early Voting Station in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province
Sharing the Video on 'Douyin'

A man who filmed himself voting at an early voting station for the 21st presidential election and uploaded the video to a Chinese social networking service (SNS) has been apprehended by the police.

On the 30th, the Wonmi Police Station in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, announced that it is investigating Mr. A on suspicion of violating the Public Official Election Act. Mr. A is accused of filming himself voting inside a polling booth at an early voting station in Wonmi-gu, Bucheon, the previous day.

He entered the polling booth and recorded himself stamping the ballot paper, then uploaded the footage to the Chinese SNS 'Douyin.' The video was shared and sparked controversy. According to the police investigation, Mr. A was originally a Chinese national, but after passing the naturalization exam, he obtained Korean citizenship and was eligible to vote.

The Public Official Election Act prohibits the photographing of ballots inside polling booths and forbids making marked ballots public. A police official stated, "We identified and apprehended Mr. A based on his SNS profile photo and surveillance camera (CCTV) footage from the early voting station," adding, "The specific details of the incident are under investigation."