Democratic Party candidate Maeng Jung-seop being forcibly removed [Photo=Yonhap News]A recount regarding the invalidation petition for the Chungju mayoral election in North Chungcheong Province began at 1:30 p.m. on the 15th at the multipurpose auditorium of Korea National University of Transportation.

As the original election was decided by a margin of only 124 votes, the manual recount of approximately 108,000 ballots was conducted in a grave atmosphere.

The recount was attended by approximately 150 people, including 12 observers each from the Democratic Party's petitioner, Maeng Jung-seop, and the incumbent winner from the People Power Party, Lee Dong-seok, as well as order-enforcement personnel and counting staff.

The Election Commission had briefed the candidates in advance on potential issues that might arise during the recount process.

Perhaps because this was the first recount since the local elections and the slim margin meant the winner could potentially change, the proceedings were met with disturbances from the very beginning.

At 1:00 p.m., the scheduled start time, candidate Maeng demanded that Jo Mi-yeon, chair of the North Chungcheong Provincial Election Commission, provide the CCTV footage from the original count and the image scan files from the counting machines.

Chair Jo responded, "This recount is for the ballots themselves, not a forum to request CCTV footage; please use the appropriate legal procedures," but Maeng insisted, "I will not step down from this spot."

Although Chair Jo warned that "obstructing the procedure may lead to your removal," Maeng continued to shout his demands until he was eventually forcibly removed by police.

Observers for candidate Maeng blocking the opening of ballot boxes  

Even after Maeng was removed, his observers held up banners demanding a "transparent recount" and blocked the opening of the ballot boxes, leading to clashes with election officials.

As a result, the recount began only after a 30-minute delay from the scheduled time.

Around the university, about 70 police officers from the Chungju Police Station and two riot police companies from the North Chungcheong Provincial Police Agency were deployed.

Typically, police maintain order during election counts using only local station personnel, but they requested support from the provincial riot police as a precaution against potential clashes between supporters.

The final recount results are expected to be available after 6:00 p.m.

If the recount results change the election outcome, the Election Commission will uphold the invalidation petition filed by Maeng. If there are no further lawsuits regarding the petition result, the commission will then re-certify the winner based on the recount findings.

Maeng had filed the invalidation petition with the Election Commission on the 8th of last month, citing reasons such as the number of invalid votes (2,277) being disproportionately high compared to the margin between the candidates.

The Election Commission received a 54.87 million won deposit from Maeng to cover the costs of the recount.