South Korea: Election worker apprehended after allegedly casting vote on husband's behalf

Seoul, May 30 (IANS) An election worker in South Korea was apprehended this week after allegedly casting an early vote for the June 3 presidential election on her husband's behalf, police said on Friday.

The woman was identified as a contract employee for Seoul's Gangnam district office who was appointed by the National Election Commission (NEC) to help check voters' IDs during the two-day early voting on Thursday and Friday, according to Suseo Police Station.

Police detained the woman without a warrant Thursday, about half an hour after they received a call that someone had voted twice at a polling station in Gangnam's Daechi 2-dong neighbourhood.

She is being questioned on suspicion of casting a ballot using her husband's ID before casting her own ballot several hours later.

The woman reportedly admitted to all charges but refused to disclose a motive.

Both the Gangnam district office and the NEC said they have relieved her of her duties.

The NEC also filed a complaint against the woman with the police while requesting an investigation into her husband's possible involvement.

"A vote by proxy by an election worker who should strictly and fairly oversee the presidential election is a very serious election crime that brutally tramples on the people's trust in election administration," the commission said.

The woman's ballots cannot be nullified as they have already been placed inside ballot boxes, a commission official said. The vote count will proceed normally.

In light of this and other incidents, the conservative People Power Party (PPP) on Friday lambasted the poor management in early voting elections, demanding the chief of the election watchdog apologise, Yonhap news agency reported.

Kim Moon-soo, the party's presidential candidate, denounced the NEC after meeting with reporters in Jecheon, North Chungcheong Province, saying the institution must "wake up" and undergo a "sweeping overhaul."

"Why is the NEC still not fixing these problems, after going through many similar cases in the past, like the basket election incident?" he asked, referring to the controversy over the transportation of ballot papers from Covid-19 patients in plastic baskets during the early voting for the 2022 presidential election.

Rep. Kim Yong-tae, the party's interim leader, also blamed the NEC for its inadequate election management while referring to a series of incidents that took place during the early voting. Voters reportedly went out to eat while carrying ballot papers in Sinchon, western Seoul, on Thursday.

"We will review revising the Public Official Election Act to have election officials sign the early-voting ballot papers," Kim said. He also demanded a comprehensive inspection and overhaul of all early-voting sites, and said those responsible for the incidents must be duly reprimanded.

"The Chairman of the NEC should stand before the people himself and sincerely apologise," Kim added.

Rep. Shin Dong-uk, the PPP's spokesperson, said the liberal Democratic Party (DP) has not been sufficiently critical of the NEC.

"The DP has collected a lot of votes in early voting and that party's silence is even more irresponsible (than the NEC's mishaps)," Shin said. "Is the DP the defender of a rigged election?"

--IANS

int/jk/vd