[Inside Chodong]Election Without Banners

Last weekend in Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province, a worker died after falling while removing an election banner attached to the exterior wall of a building. The accident occurred when the work vehicle tilted, reportedly because the ladder truck's stabilizer gave way, indicating poor on-site safety management as the cause. Just before the election, in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, an elementary school student tripped and suffered a head injury after their neck got caught on the string of a low-hanging banner.

Unauthorized banners and lawsuits arising from excessive promotional language are also creating social costs. Some local governments have established designated spaces where only approved banners can be hung, but not everyone abides by these rules.

After the election, the country has once again entered a "war against banners." Most banners on the streets were removed over the weekend, but in areas with insufficient manpower, candidates' appeals are still left unattended.

According to data from the National Election Commission, 128,000 election banners were used in the local elections four years ago, and 138,000 banners were used in the 2018 local elections. It is estimated that more than 100,000 banners were used nationwide in this election as well.

The recycling rate of discarded banners collected nationwide does not exceed 50%. While there are differences depending on local governments or recycling centers, incineration costs are lower than recycling costs. More importantly, banners with large portraits of candidates in blue and red are difficult to recycle, and disposal is also problematic. Since they cannot be buried in landfills, they must be incinerated, a process that emits a large amount of greenhouse gases. Although a bill proposing the use of eco-friendly materials for election banners was introduced in the 20th National Assembly, it was discarded when the term ended, and no similar proposals have been made since.

Above all, during election season, discarded banners are generated in a short period, exceeding not only the available removal workforce but also the incineration facility capacities in some regions. In place of the banners removed over the weekend, new banners with messages of thanks or concession from candidates have appeared.

If proper disposal is difficult, it may be time to consider "elections without banners." The issue of disposing of discarded banners arises every election, but if even statistics on incineration or landfill are lacking, then these pollutant-level banners need regulation.

Globally, it is rare to see large banners featuring candidates' faces on streets during election seasons. In the United States and Europe, large outdoor billboards are more commonly used, and election posters are usually placed on designated bulletin boards. The election culture has also shifted toward spending more on TV ads, online ads, mailers, and campaign events.

Korea has experience with "banner-free elections." In the second nationwide local elections in 1998, held after the financial crisis, both small printed materials and banners were abolished to reduce high-cost and corrupt campaigns, and promotional materials were restricted. Although there was analysis that voter turnout dropped to around 52% at the time, the election environment has changed now that social networking services (SNS) are part of daily life.

There is growing support for transforming the banner-centric campaign culture into a digital format. Before the election, the Basic Income Party proposed elections without banners. In a reality where the two major parties monopolize 98% of state campaign reimbursements, the suggestion was to use the budget saved for welfare instead.

There is also a need to consider advancing banner recycling technology and expanding government and local government support for recycling. Efforts should also be made to ensure that digital-focused campaigning does not widen the information accessibility gap. As the way voters interact with candidates shifts from "the street" to "the smartphone," there is no reason for election campaigns to remain stuck in the past.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.