Democratic Party candidate Kang Suk-ju (left) and People Power Party candidate Cheon Young-gi, who ran for Mayor of Tongyeong in the 9th Nationwide Simultaneous Local Elections held on June 3. Candidate Cheon Young-gi lost to candidate Kang Suk-ju by a narrow margin of 44 votes. [Photo = Yonhap News] 

A recount for the Tongyeong mayoral election in South Gyeongsang Province, which was decided by a margin of only 44 votes in the June 3 local elections, will be conducted on the 27th at 2:00 PM in the main auditorium of the Gyeongsangnam-do Election Commission. However, on-site video recording is prohibited.

In response, netizens have raised their voices, asking, "What are they afraid of that they are blocking video recording?" and demanding, "Conduct a live broadcast of the site immediately." 

Full Manual Recount to be Conducted Without Machines

This recount was decided after former Mayor Cheon Young-gi, who narrowly lost to candidate Kang Suk-ju—having received 33,582 votes (48.90%) against Kang's 33,626 votes (48.97%)—filed an election petition for nullification, raising the possibility of errors in the ballot sorting machines. This recount will be conducted entirely by manual counting, with no use of ballot sorting machines at all.

With election commissioners and observers from both sides present, every ballot will be visually inspected one by one. In particular, ballots with ambiguous results or those subject to objections will undergo a re-verification process attended by both the Election Commission and representatives from both sides.

Based on the results of this recount, the Gyeongnam Election Commission will make a final decision on whether to accept or dismiss the election petition. If the parties do not accept the results of the petition, the possibility of subsequent election nullification lawsuits through the courts cannot be ruled out, drawing keen attention from local political circles.

No Video Recording Allowed… Why?

Video recording is either prohibited or strictly controlled at the recount site managed by the Election Commission. The Election Commission explained that this is "a measure to guarantee the secrecy of the vote and to ensure the fair and orderly conduct of election affairs."

In response, netizens commented, "Not allowing photo and video recording suggests there is something to hide," "Is South Korea a place that hides everything? Since when?" "Are they worried that shape-memory paper will turn up?" "We need a precise assessment where printing and digital experts who can verify the authenticity of crisp early-voting ballots participate to check each and every ballot," "What kind of verification is possible without video recording?" and "Live broadcast recording must be permitted."

Reporter Lim Yo-hee