During the June 3rd local elections, piles of crisp, "brick-like" ballots (left) that showed no signs of ever being folded were discovered, and some ballot boxes were found with damaged security seals. [Photo=BBP]

The various instances of electoral fraud serve to explain the validity of the calls for "a recount due to election fraud and manual counting on election day" echoing from Jamsil Olympic Park. During this June 3rd local election, numerous shocking cases suspected of being election fraud were identified, threatening the integrity of the election and the security of every citizen's vote.

A total of 49 reports of election fraud were submitted solely to the Center for Prevention of Election Fraud and Corruption (BBP), and countless calls and emails poured into the , suggesting that the scale of irregularities was far more severe than in previous elections.

In this installment, we continue our series by providing a comprehensive summary of the reported cases of election fraud.

㉒ Mass discovery of ballots with intact serial numbers

At the counting station in Nam-gu, Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, a large number of election-day ballots were discovered with their serial numbers still attached. Unlike early voting ballots that feature barcodes or QR codes, standard election-day ballots are designed to have the bottom right section, containing the serial number, detached along a perforation before the ballot is cast.

At the counting station in Nam-gu, Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, a large number of election-day ballots were discovered with their serial numbers still attached. [Photo=BBP]

However, around 1:07 AM on the 4th, about 50 ballots were found at the Nam-gu counting station without the perforated sections removed. Observers delivered a letter of objection to the Nam-gu Election Commission, requesting an investigation into the issue. Furthermore, an emergency 112 call was made on-site, prompting police to be dispatched.

Nevertheless, the Nam-gu Election Commission reportedly declared the vote counting for the June 3rd local election to be "normal" at around 5:40 AM that same day.

An Election Commission official claimed, "It is not yet at a stage where we can definitively conclude this is election fraud," but added, "However, we judge that there are sufficient grounds to raise suspicions regarding poor management. We request that the relevant authorities investigate the clear cause and outcome."

The BBP side argued, "The number of voters and the number of ballots must be verified by checking the electoral roll and the remaining unused ballots."

㉓ Electronic counting machines outputting the same candidate consecutively

At the Dankook University gymnasium counting station in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, an impossible event occurred around 11:35 PM. An unusual pattern was identified in the ballot sorting machine (so-called electronic counting machine).

The Gyeonggi Province gubernatorial ballot sorter produced only candidate #1 for about 3 minutes, followed by only candidate #2 for 1 minute. Then, it again produced only candidate #1 consecutively for 3 minutes. This phenomenon also occurred during the counting of the Yongin Mayoral race. Around 1:00 AM on the 4th, the electronic counting machine produced candidate #1 over 3,000 times in a row. [Photo=BBP]

The Gyeonggi Province gubernatorial ballot sorter produced only candidate #1 for about 3 minutes, followed by only candidate #2 for 1 minute. Then, it again produced only candidate #1 consecutively for 3 minutes.

This phenomenon also occurred during the counting of the Yongin Mayoral race. Around 1:00 AM on the 4th, the electronic counting machine produced candidate #1 over 3,000 times in a row.

Regarding this, the BBP stated, "Rather than a malfunction of the electronic counting machine, it is highly likely that this occurred because bundles of new, crisp ballots were inserted into the machine." The theory is that this anomaly occurred during the process of feeding in stacks of ballots that had all been marked for the same candidate.

The consecutive appearance of candidate #2 is also likely a result of adjustments being made to the overall vote ratios. The fact that the rate of consecutive appearances for candidate #1 is higher than for candidate #2 supports this.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission claims that this happened because ballots were re-inserted during the verification process after the initial candidate sorting. However, many citizens suspect election fraud, citing that: △ election staff manually verify the ballots sorted by the machines, and △ in most cases of normal operation, ballots for various candidates appear in the mix.

The following is the related video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAG9o2i2TCA

㉔ Piles of crisp, new ballots

At several counting stations, including the one at Dankook University in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, piles of crisp "brick-like" ballots that showed no signs of ever being folded were discovered again.

Piles of ballots that showed no signs of ever having been folded were discovered at counting stations in Yongin (Gyeonggi), Wonju (Gangwon), Ulju (Ulsan), and the Citizens' Gymnasium in Gwangmyeong (Gyeonggi). [Photo=BBP]

These "brick ballots" are what those calling for an investigation into election fraud present as the most clear-cut evidence. This is because they are being discovered in too many locations and in such large quantities.

Stacks of new ballots were also discovered in large quantities during ① the June 1, 2022, parliamentary by-election, ② the April 10, 2024, parliamentary election, and ③ the June 3, 2025, presidential election.

In response, the National Election Commission released a promotional video featuring a famous announcer, claiming, "Unlike regular paper, election ballots use a special material that has a 'shape-recovering' function, applied to prevent paper jams during sorting."

This led to the "brick ballots" being mocked as "shape-loss paper," "original-state-recovering paper," and "shape-memory ballots," turning the issue into a laughingstock.

Paper experts also testified, "The paper used for ballots is standard printing paper (uncoated paper), and there is no such thing as 'shape-memory' paper that perfectly erases all traces of folding."

Faced with this, the Election Commission suddenly deleted the video regarding shape-memory paper and pivoted to an excuse, claiming, "The ballots are crisp because the folded parts are flattened by roller pressure as they pass through the ballot sorter, or it is a natural phenomenon caused by numerous ballots being pressed together inside the ballot box."

This logic also lacks credibility, requiring yet another explanation for why there were stacks of "ballots with fold marks" sitting right next to the "brick ballots."

"Why do some show fold marks while others don't? Which one is the fake ballot?"

As the Election Commission cannot answer these questions, more and more citizens are raising suspicions of electoral fraud, stating, "That very silence is proof of the fraud."

Meanwhile, in addition to Yongin, bundles of ballots without any fold marks were discovered at counting stations in Wonju (Gangwon), Ulju (Ulsan), and the Citizens' Gymnasium in Gwangmyeong (Gyeonggi).

Netizens are expressing their doubts, saying, "Isn't this why there was a shortage of election-day ballots this time—because they used them all to make these fake ballots?"

㉕ Why were ballots from a different electoral district in the envelope?

Was it an error in the early voting issuance program? Or human manipulation? During the counting of the June 3rd election, a controversy arose when ballots from Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, were discovered in an out-of-district early voting envelope from Sujeong-gu, Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province.

A controversy arose during the June 3rd election counting when ballots from Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, were found in an out-of-district early voting envelope from Sujeong-gu, Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. Even stranger is the fact that the 'Kim Hyeong-su' seal was stamped side-by-side in the early voting administrator seal sections for both the 'Seongnam ballot' and the 'Ansan ballot.' Meanwhile, a ballot for a Gyeonggi Provincial Council member (proportional representative) was also found at the Myongji College counting station in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul. [Photo=BBP]

In this election, since the ballot issuance machine prints 7–8 ballot papers for each voter simultaneously, it is impossible for one Ansan ballot to be mixed into a Sujeong-gu, Seongnam batch.

Even stranger is the fact that the ‘Kim Hyeong-su’ seal was stamped side-by-side in the early voting administrator seal sections for both the ‘Seongnam ballot’ and the ‘Ansan ballot.’

Meanwhile, a similar event occurred at the Myongji College counting station in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul. A ballot for a Gyeonggi Provincial Council member (proportional representative) was found in a Seoul Seodaemun-gu ballot box.

Again, because the ballot issuance machine prints 7–8 early voting ballots at once, it is impossible for such loose, individual ballots to be floating around.

If this were a program error, it would be normal to see other cases. If there are no other cases, the suspicion shifts toward human manipulation errors.

Netizens argued, "This should be seen as circumstantial evidence that these are pre-printed ballots, not those issued by the machines," adding, "It seems they were trying to manipulate ballots in multiple locations at once, leading to signs of clumsy errors here and there."

The BBP also asserted, "The Central Election Commission’s ballot issuance program must be audited, and the relevant officials at the Election Commission must be investigated."

㉖ Ballot box security seals cut with a blade

At the Bulamsan Badminton Court counting station in Nowon-gu, Seoul, a ballot box arrived with its security seal completely sliced open with a blade. Furthermore, the remaining portions showed signs of being peeled and reapplied (OPEN VOID). Observers requested support to prevent forced counting and postponed the opening of the ballot box until 11:30 PM.

Hwang Kyo-ahn, leader of Freedom and Innovation, remarked, "It seems that citizens who will no longer stand by and watch these reckless atrocities by the Election Commission are rising up," adding, "I thank them for their hard work. Freedom is not free."

㉗ The mystery of the water-soaked ballots

At the Haedo-dong counting station in Nam-gu, Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, about 70 water-soaked ballots were found, leading observers to report the incident to 112 and submit a letter of objection to the election authorities. Is it even possible for normal ballots inside a sealed ballot box to get wet?

About 70 water-soaked ballots appeared at the Haedo-dong counting station in Nam-gu, Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province. [Photo provided by reader] According to information provided to the , at 6:00 PM on the 3rd, the day of the election, as soon as voting closed, the Election Commission attached and sealed the security seal on the slot at the top of the ballot box. The signatures of the voting administrator and the voting observer were also already on the security seal.

In that state, the ballot box was loaded onto a vehicle and transported to the counting station. Could the ballots have gotten wet in the meantime? Pohang had clear weather without a single drop of rain. If that is the case, it is possible the lid was opened during transport.

However, the process of transporting ballot boxes is usually extremely strict. Since the security seal is attached and observers are watching, it is unthinkable that someone would dare open the lid. But without opening the lid, there is no way to "soak" the ballots.

Whether they deceived the observers or not, one could guess that the lid was opened and water was poured in, or someone accidentally spilled water while drinking. To soak 70 sheets, at least half a cup of water would be needed.

Meanwhile, netizens have suggested the possibility that the entire ballot box was submerged in water. Since the ballot slot is sealed and the box is closed on all sides, even pouring water with a bucket would not likely wet the inside. However, if the whole box were plunged into a water tank, that would be a different story.

The theory is that the fake ballot box already contained wet ballots. This points to what is colloquially known as a "full box swap" (tong-gali), and fake ballot boxes often arrive from abroad via the sea.

Some netizens added a fantasy-thriller style imagination, suggesting the fake box came by ship across the sea to Pohang, but the courier accidentally dropped the box in the ocean and had to fish it out in a hurry.

In conclusion, the Election Commission was unable to provide any explanation or clarification regarding the wet ballots and simply ruled them as "valid votes."

㉘ Arbitrary counting conducted in a separate 'warehouse'

At the Jinju Indoor Gymnasium counting station in Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province, there was a case where counting was arbitrarily conducted in a "warehouse," a separate space within the gymnasium, until it was discovered by an observer.

Jinju Indoor Gymnasium counting station, Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province. [Photo=BBP]

Following this, the observer urgently requested local residents to apply to observe the on-site counting and demanded an official investigation into the truth.

Legally, arbitrarily changing the counting location to somewhere outside the publicly announced area is an act that seriously undermines the transparency and fairness of the election, which constitutes a violation of the Public Official Election Act.

Counting observers are allowed to move freely within all facilities at the counting station to monitor the situation at all times, and if any violations of the regulations or closed-door counting are discovered, they are entitled to immediately lodge a protest with the election commissioners.

㉙ Indications of '1 person, 4 votes'

At the Yuseong-gu counting station in Daejeon, a stack of 28 ballots, all folded together, was found in a ballot box.

Since this was a local election where one voter selects 7 candidates, finding 28 sheets bundled together means one person cast votes for 4 people's worth of ballots. This is a clear case of electoral fraud violating the "one person, one vote" principle.

The counting observer and members of the public witnessed this and protested to the Election Commission employee, Election Guidance Officer Kim 00, but it is reported that Kim 00 scattered the ballots, claimed there was nothing wrong, and proceeded with the count.

Consequently, five people, including the observers and members of the public, submitted a letter of objection to the Yuseong-gu Election Commission Chairperson and reported it to the police.

㉚ Damaged security seals

A ballot box was brought into the Mapo-gu counting station in Seoul with a security seal clearly showing an "OPEN VOID" mark, indicating it had been tampered with. Furthermore, the signatures of the observers on the seal were different from the originals.

A ballot box was brought into the Mapo-gu counting station in Seoul with a security seal clearly showing an 'OPEN VOID' mark. Even the observers' signatures had been altered. [Photo=BBP]

During the grand debate on election fraud, which was broadcast live on YouTube (PenNMic TV) from 6:10 PM on February 27th to 1:30 AM, one of the most sharply contested issues was the controversy over security seals.

A security seal is a special sticker used to check whether a product has been opened. Currently, the National Election Commission uses a non-residue-type seal that shows the mark "OPEN VOID" on the sticker itself if it is forcibly removed. Also, to prevent the sticker from being peeled off and reapplied, the (early) voting administrator and (early) voting observers sign directly over the seal.

The name of the seal remains the same, but if the handwriting style changes depending on the date, it means the ballot box—which should absolutely never be opened—was opened at will and a new sticker was applied.

Also, the current seals were blue until 2022 and have since been changed to black. Many people are also expressing dissatisfaction with the regulation that one must use a black marker to sign on a black seal, noting, "This makes it impossible to conduct a proper handwriting analysis later."

The "damaged security seal" controversy rears its head every election. What on earth is happening to our ballot boxes while we aren't looking?

Reporter Im Yo-hee