South Korea is outraged in the face of an unprecedented event in the nation's history—a reality where suffrage has been stripped away, something unheard of anywhere else in the world. ⒸHanmi IlboIs Lee Jae-myung the only one who doesn't understand the gravity of the situation? Or is he merely pretending not to? In front of reporters, Lee compared the issue of ballot shortages to an alumni association election and laughed about it. Comparing it to an alumni association election itself reveals just how lightly he views this situation.

Is this something to be laughed at or compared to as a joke? If ballot papers run short for an alumni association election, it’s no big deal to simply make a few more on the spot.

In a democratic nation, the people's right to vote is a sacred right. How can it be compared to choosing an alumni president? This is not a matter to be brushed aside or treated as if it were a joke.

The ballot shortage is serious, but the issues regarding the transparency of the June 3rd local elections, based on the reports released so far, appear to be at a critical level.

After causing election results to become unbelievable due to countless errors—such as miscalculating the number of voters and inputting incorrect counting results—are they now claiming there is no problem because it didn't change the outcome? Is the National Election Commission (NEC) arguing that just because drinking contaminated water won't kill you, you should just put up with a stomachache? When total incompetence that cannot be justified accumulates, what else can it be called if not fraud?

The NEC has formed its own fact-finding committee. They claim they will conduct a thorough investigation by including all external members. What a joke. With the NEC selecting the external members and providing the data for a 10-day investigation, who would believe whatever results they produce?

It is said that there are two types of reflection shown by burglars who break into homes and end up in prison. One group says they will never do bad things again, while the other reflects on which mistakes led to their capture, planning to avoid the wall and enter through the front door next time.

The NEC's formation of its own committee is not a reflection on building a transparent voting and counting system for the future. Instead, it is like the latter group of burglars—concluding that the mess was simply a result of "total incompetence," while brainstorming how they can maintain the current system under the guise of efficiency, thinking, "Why did we get caught? We must make sure not to get caught next time."

There is an easy method that all voters could accept: "same-day voting and manual counting." Why are they pushing to keep the current system, using absurd excuses like concerns about lower turnout, congestion on voting day, or delayed counting?

It leads to a reasonable suspicion that there is a group benefiting from this system, and they are using their influence to insist that it cannot be changed.

When an elementary school holds an election for president of the student body, voting takes place in each classroom, the ballots are counted right there, recorded neatly on the blackboard, and reported to the person in charge of tallying the totals. That’s all there is to it.

However, if the ballot boxes from each room were moved to the teachers' office and left there for days waiting for absent students to vote before counting, could anyone accept those results?

I am aware of no other country in the world that allows voting anywhere in the country without prior registration. If this system is a breeding ground for fraud, why are they refusing to fix it? It is incomprehensible. I cannot understand why they keep complicating the process and making it impossible to trust the elections.

Even if voter turnout drops slightly, we must create a system that everyone can accept. It is said that in Taiwan, since they implemented "same-day voting and manual counting," both winners and losers accept the results, and no voters file complaints.

There is talk going around that lawmakers who want to abolish the NEC are afraid to act because they fear that if the NEC remains, they will face decisive disadvantages in the next election.

I believe this ballot shortage is a heaven-sent opportunity to establish a transparent voting and counting system. If we miss this chance, democracy in this country is finished. It is time for everyone to stand together and shout, "New elections for fraudulent polls, same-day voting and manual counting."

To stand by and watch this—an unprecedented event in Korean history and a reality of disenfranchisement unparalleled worldwide—is no different from giving up our sovereignty and accepting whatever results the NEC dictates.

"Stand or Die" was the final operational command issued by General Walton Walker, commander of the U.S. Eighth Army, during the Naktong River defensive line battle in the Korean War.

We, too, must fight with a willingness to die to achieve our goals: the dissolution of the NEC, the abolition of early voting, the implementation of manual counting, and the holding of new elections.

With a heart that feels like it’s spitting blood, I appeal to everyone, and I must head to the Jamsil Olympic Stadium today to encourage the young people who are risking everything to fight and build a world where they can live with dignity.

◆ Dr. Jae-Soo Kim

Ph.D. in Informatics. Former Head of Headquarters at the Agency for Defense Development. Former Adjunct Professor at Kyonggi University. 5th and 6th President of the Republic of Korea ROTC Patriotic Comrades Association. Currently Chairman of the National Foundation Light.