Min Kyung-wook, a former member of the Future Integration Party (now the power of the people), raising suspicions of unfair elections with the 4·15 general election ballot. Newsis
– In the April 15 general election, prison sentences were sentenced to those in their 60s who were handed over to trial for secretly carrying out ballots. This is the first conviction for theft of ballots since the election system was introduced in Korea.
Part 13 of the Uijeongbu District Law Criminal Agreement (Deputy Judge Da-ju Jung) sentenced his aunt (65), a defendant, who was charged with violating the Public Office Election Act and theft of night room intrusion, to 2 years and June in prison.
The judge said, “What the defendant stole is not six ballots, but election fairness, trust in public power, and liberal democracy itself,” and said, “If this is neglected, it is necessary to produce a conspiracy and punish strictly.”
When Mr. Lee delivered the ballot at the time to former lawmaker Min Kyung-wook (now the power of the people), it was judged that it was not a public interest report.
Lee was an observer of counting counts in Guri during the 4-15 general election. Counting was held at Guri Gymnasium until dawn. Mr. Lee obtained six of the remaining ballots that the Guri Election Management Committee kept in the fitness room on one side of the gym and handed it to Congressman Min.
Former lawmaker Min raised suspicion of voting manipulation, saying it was evidence of fraudulent counting. The NEC commissioned the prosecution to investigate, and Lee was finally arrested.
The prosecution applied Lee for violation of the Public Official Election Act and theft of night room intrusion. Night room intrusion theft is the crime of entering a room or office managed by another person at night and stealing things.
The prosecution determined that Lee secretly entered the fitness room between April 15 and 16, while the ballot was counted, and stole the ballot. However, Lee denied the charges in court, saying, “The ballot was handed over to an unnamed boxer who appears to be an election clerk, and he only reported it to the National Assembly for public interest.”
The judge did not accept all of this. When Lee’s gene was detected on the ballot, the DNA was analyzed and the conditions before and after the counting were compared in chronological order. I also kept in mind the possibility of contamination. Even though the 8-hour video recorded on the Gym Closed Circuit (CC) TV was played in court, Lee’s argument was not accepted.
The judge pointed out that “the defendant was aware of the fact that no entry was allowed in the fitness room at the time, and the defendant was not able to accept the defendant’s claim because there was no content in the video that received a ballot from someone.”
Reporter Kim Ji-hye [email protected]
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