Election Observer Accused of Intimidation and Interference in Incheon
An election observer has been reported to the police for allegedly threatening a public official appointed as a pre-voting supervisor and obstructing the pre-voting process during the 21st presidential election. The Incheon Namdong District Election Commission announced on June 3 that it had filed a complaint against the observer, referred to as A, for violating the Public Official Election Act.
A is accused of threatening public official B, who was appointed as a pre-voting supervisor at a community service center in Namdong-gu, claiming that they would report B for neglect of duty. A insisted that the pre-voting supervisor should personally stamp the ballots with the official pre-voting supervisor seal, despite the election commission clarifying that the seal should be applied using a printed method as per regulations.
Additionally, A is alleged to have disrupted legitimate pre-voting operations by continuously demanding the disclosure of voting statistics, claiming discrepancies between the number of voters they counted and the figures recorded in the system.
The Public Official Election Act stipulates that threatening pre-voting staff can result in imprisonment for one to ten years or fines ranging from 5 million to 30 million won. Interfering with voting at a pre-voting site without just cause can lead to imprisonment for up to three years.
An election commission official stated, 'We will take strict action against any illegal activities that disrupt legitimate voting processes or involve violence and intimidation against election officials.'
