PPP: "Ballot Boxes Removed Despite Damaged Seals and Other Fraud Evidence... Tantamount to Destroying Evidence"

"The special counsel arbitrarily classified ballot boxes as normal"

After publicly inspecting the ballot boxes from the June 3 local elections that had been kept at Olympic Handball Gymnasium in Olympic Park, Songpa-gu, Seoul, the special counsel team investigating the National Election Commission removed them on October 29. The People Power Party criticized the move, saying, "The ballot boxes were removed despite damage to their seals and the discovery of various pieces of evidence of election fraud," calling it "tantamount to destroying evidence."

Jang Dong-hyeok, leader of the People Power Party, watches preparations for the public inspection of ballots for the June 3 local elections at the Handball Gymnasium in Olympic Park, Songpa-gu, Seoul, on the 28th. He is attending as an observer at the inspection conducted by the special counsel investigating the National Election Commission. Yonhap News Agency

Park Seong-hun, chief spokesperson for the People Power Party, made the remarks while speaking with reporters at the National Assembly on the afternoon of October 29. He was responding to party leader Jang Dong-hyuk's comment that morning that "(the removed) ballot boxes still contain other evidence of election fraud." Park added, "In particular, the special counsel arbitrarily classified ballot boxes as normal or not, and even the criteria for that judgment failed to gain public consensus."

Park also said, "Jang and the other observers protested the special counsel's attempt to remove the ballot boxes from Olympic Park before dawn, using a method that had not been agreed upon." He criticized the decision to return the boxes to the National Election Commission, which could effectively be considered a suspect, saying, "That was a wrongful act that ignored the voices of people in their 20s and 30s who have stood guard at Olympic Park."

However, Park said, "Rather than calling these the results of election fraud at the party level, I think it would be better to assess the situation going forward and then offer a comprehensive statement." He added, "Based on the views of People Power Party lawmakers who observed the process on site, it appears that a lot of evidence of irregularities was found there." He also said, "We are not attacking the special counsel."

Park said, "Nothing has been decided yet about how we will respond," adding, "Jang is considering how to respond going forward. We will share our position once it has been finalized."

After staying at the recount site since October 28, Jang met with reporters on the morning of October 29 and criticized the authorities, saying, "The National Election Commission and the special counsel took the ballot boxes—which still contain evidence of election fraud—and disappeared with them as if they were carrying out an operation with the police, fleeing under cover of night." He added, "The people's right to vote has disappeared."

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