"The Flower of Democracy Sold Out, Your Precious Zero Votes"... "Advertising Genius" Lee Jaeseok's Surprise Satire in Front of Election Commission

Banner Parodies Election Commission Slogan
Criticizes Ballot Paper Shortage Incident

Lee Jaeseok, a public service advertising expert known as the "advertising genius" and head of the Lee Jaeseok Advertising Research Institute, displayed a satirical advertisement in front of the National Election Commission, criticizing the shortage of ballot papers during the June 3 local elections. Amid ongoing controversy over poor election management, he delivered a critical message through banners and posters that parodied the commission's official slogans.

The poster "Your Precious 0 Votes" by Lee Jae-seok Advertising Lab, satirizing the shortage of ballots. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

According to Yonhap News Agency on June 11, Lee hung a banner in front of the National Election Commission in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, that morning. The banner read, "The flower of democracy is sold out," a twist on the commission's long-used slogan, "The flower of democracy is the election."

At the scene, Lee also held up a poster titled "Your Precious Zero Votes." The poster depicted a hand reaching toward a ballot box, but the hand that should have been holding a ballot paper was empty. This visually satirized the situation faced by voters who visited polling stations but were unable to receive ballot papers.

A representative from the National Election Commission reportedly intervened immediately, stopping the performance and removing the banner at the site.

This performance targeted the incident during the June 3 local elections, when some polling stations ran out of ballot papers, causing inconvenience for voters. The commission apologized for the confusion that occurred during the voting process at that time and promised to investigate the cause and implement measures to prevent recurrence.

In a phone interview with Yonhap News Agency, Lee explained the intent behind the poster, stating, "Voting is about trust in the foundation of our national system," and that he wanted to depict the absurd situation of missing ballot papers through his poster.

Lee also plans to distribute the poster online for free and send printed copies separately to the National Election Commission by mail. In addition, he announced that he would hold a "National Election Commission Promotional Poster Contest," inviting young advertisers to create satirical works about this incident, and that he would deliver the top prize-winning entry to the commission as well.

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