Election Commission Employee Suspended for Practicing Golf Swings Amid Ballot Shortage Crisis

One-Month Suspension Issued... Overtime Pay Request Also Uncovered
Election Commission: "Misconduct Confirmed, No Payment Will Be Made"

Amid intense protests from voters over the ballot shortage crisis during the June 3 local elections, an employee of the Election Commission who was practicing golf swings inside the commission building has ultimately received a suspension.

Several media outlets reported on the 3rd that the Daegu Metropolitan City Election Commission, following an internal audit, imposed a one-month suspension on employee A and arranged for their transfer to another regional Election Commission. Additionally, it was decided that the requested overtime pay submitted by A would not be granted.

The audit revealed that on the night of the 9th of last month, at around 8:00 p.m., A was seen practicing golf swings while looking out the window in a stairwell on an upper floor of the Daegu Jung-gu Election Commission building. At that time, approximately 600 citizens were gathered in front of the building, holding a rally condemning the ballot shortage crisis. Investigations also found that A practiced golf in the same location again on the afternoon of the following day, the 10th.

During a rally condemning the shortage of ballots during the June 3 local elections held in front of the election commission building, an election commission employee was suspended for practicing golf swings inside the building. Photo from social media capture

Citizens who witnessed the scene strongly objected, calling it "an irresponsible act that ignored the public's anger." One citizen expressed outrage, saying, "It didn't matter at all to him that people were protesting downstairs—he just played golf for quite a while."

On the 10th, another citizen said, "This is unforgivable. We need to record and share this," and filmed the incident, releasing it on social media. As the video spread, the controversy quickly gained national attention.

It was also discovered that A claimed three hours of overtime pay for the 9th, the day of the golf practice. The Election Commission confirmed all the misconduct, including both the golf swing practice and the application for overtime pay.

This controversy erupted at a time when public distrust regarding the ballot shortage crisis during the June 3 local elections had yet to subside. In some regions at the time, printing and supply of ballot papers did not proceed smoothly, resulting in voters having to wait for extended periods or being unable to vote at all. Protest rallies demanding accountability for poor election management continued in front of the commission building, and public criticism of the election management authorities intensified.

Meanwhile, as of now, neither the employee in question nor the Daegu Jung-gu Election Commission has issued an official apology or statement regarding this incident.

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