Lee In-ho, Professor Emeritus at Seoul National University, has characterized the protests at Olympic Park—sparked by the recent ballot shortage in the June 3 local elections—as an ideological war equivalent to a "second Korean War." [Photo: Yonhap News]

Lee In-ho, Professor Emeritus at Seoul National University, has characterized the protests at Olympic Park—sparked by the recent ballot shortage in the June 3 local elections—as an ideological war equivalent to a "second Korean War." 

In an op-ed for 'Monthly Chosun' on the 18th, Professor Lee described the incident not merely as a lapse in election management, but as an "explosion of public sentiment," arguing that it cannot be resolved simply by the resignation of the current National Election Commission (NEC) leadership or a re-run of the June 3 election.

Public Anger Finally Explodes

According to reports, this is because "the national anger of awakened citizens has finally begun to erupt over unresolved suspicions of election fraud accumulated over the past 20 years, dissatisfaction with the NEC's attitude toward election management, and concerns about the future of the Republic of Korea as a democratic republic." 

In other words, his interpretation is that people have reached a realization that the recurring "mistakes" by the NEC over the last two decades were likely facets of intentional fraud, and the subsequent demand for accountability has now begun.

Professor Lee stated, "Regardless of the opposition, the political sphere, the media, or the general electorate, those who were anxious not to lose even the smallest vested interests while ignoring the country's fate have turned a blind eye to the clear instances of election law violations." He added, "However, the young generation in their 20s and 30s in Korea, whose souls remain clear and who are intellectually sharp enough to know that they cannot survive without the air of freedom, have personally sensed that their basic national rights are being trampled and their future as citizens of a democratic country is being blocked, leading them to take immediate and strong action in protest." 

He further criticized, "It is worth noting that behind their courageous actions lies a deep disappointment and distrust toward the older generation as a whole—including the ruling and opposition politicians, the media, and the business community—who prioritize their vested interests over justice."

Olympic Park Protest ⒸHanmi Ilbo

Above all, the resignation of the current NEC management or a re-run of the June 3 election cannot serve as a definitive solution, as nearly all previous elections—based on facts already made public—are shrouded in suspicions of fraud beyond just this local election. 

Re-election is Meaningless Without NEC Accountability

Professor Lee further stated, "Without a thorough investigation and strict punishment for those who have effectively operated the NEC for the past 20 years, a re-election is both impossible and meaningless." 

Replacing a few members of the current leadership serves only as a means to prevent the fuse of corruption from igniting and to conceal criminal evidence; it does not constitute a victory for the movement to protect voting rights or a true recovery of sovereignty for the entire Korean people, rather than for political operatives.

He also defined the Olympic Park protests as a matter of life and death for the entire South Korean system. In particular, noting that the protests were voluntarily led by the younger generation in their teens to 30s, he pointed out that deep beneath them lies "a profound disappointment and distrust toward the older generation, including ruling and opposition politicians, the media, and the business sector, who prioritize their vested interests in the face of injustice."

He strongly criticized the South Korean NEC, claiming that for the past 25 years, it has openly expanded the room for fraudulent interference by refusing to use official stamps for election management and condoning the damage to ballot box seals.

Based on revelations from the former NEC labor union leader and existing circumstances, he pointed out three specific issues.

First, he highlighted that the use of "hand stamps" (seals) to prevent fraudulent voting was replaced with pre-printed versions, undermining the credibility of the election. The hand stamp is a procedure that cannot be perfectly replaced by barcodes or serial numbers and is a system that guarantees the reliability of a recount. Furthermore, it is a process that requires less money and organization, yet they ignored the public's demand to revive the practice and applied the same method used in early voting to the actual election day. What was the reason for this?

Second, they ignored the principle prohibiting the damage of ballot box seals. Even when cases emerged of ballots being transferred to counting stations via the post office or even contained in snack boxes or baskets, no corrective or punitive measures were taken.

Third, making the early voting period longer than the election day itself significantly increases the potential for fraudulent interference. Citizens who are seriously concerned about national affairs and wish to exercise their sovereignty through voting would have participated in the election even without the expansion of the early voting period.

Furthermore, Professor Lee stated, "The fact that the 'election fraud theory' has gained undeniable resonance in our society over many years is, when analyzed, the result of accumulated public distrust in these practices of the NEC." He remarked, "When the president was briefed that even limited verification allowed to the National Intelligence Service during the Yoon Suk-yeol administration confirmed the possibility of infiltration by external forces, he demanded a thorough overall audit, but the NEC resisted by asserting its status as an independent 'constitutional institution'."

Distrust of the NEC is a Cause of Martial Law

He continued, "Former President Yoon Suk-yeol has stated that this was one of the reasons that led to the declaration of the unfortunate December 3rd martial law." He severely criticized the NEC, saying, "During the impeachment trial of former President Yoon at the Constitutional Court, the NEC provided the answer that 'the NEC server is a system that is absolutely impossible to penetrate, and we only left it open because the National Intelligence Service asked to check it.' This is a response that views the public as beings not even worth as much as 'dogs or pigs'."

There is already an abundance of public information regarding the NEC's loose management, overreach, and tendency toward becoming a private organization. [Photo: Yonhap News]

Professor Lee noted that even so, the Constitutional Court, politicians, journalists, and general voters have ignored these issues. He pointed out, "The omnipotent arrogance of the NEC and its backers, who have gained confidence that they can manipulate our voting results at will, has led to this absurd ballot shortage incident." 

He pointed out that there is already an abundance of material made public by the media regarding the NEC's loose management, overreach, and tendency toward becoming a private organization. He argued that the NEC, which received huge budget support with the expectation that it would protect the foundation of democracy and maximize national interest through fair management and efficient execution, has moved in the exact opposite direction of that expectation.

Professor Lee added, "Furthermore, suspicions are arising that the NEC has been committing 'acts of treason' by not only unnecessarily observing foreign election systems but also involving itself in the introduction of election equipment, leading to international criticism that the equipment we exported was a cause of electoral fraud, and opening wider paths for foreign, impure forces to infiltrate our own elections."

Professor Lee In-ho also expressed his stance on the recently published book, "The Dandong Project," co-authored by Kim Mi-young and Roy Kim. He noted that the book contains claims that "the criminal deviant behavior of the South Korean NEC is not limited to domestic issues but has reached the level of an international criminal cartel," and shared insights reminiscent of recent speeches by U.S. President Donald Trump.

Technology to Establish an Election System Exists… The Key is Will

Regarding future improvements to the election system, he remarked, "If there is a genuine goal to create and operate a fair election system that has absolutely no room for fraud—a goal that no one, regardless of ruling or opposition, political or non-political, would disagree with, at least on the surface—then there are plenty of methods." He added, "There is an abundance of technology that makes the voting and counting process transparent and efficient while protecting individual privacy."

The question is, "Is there an intent and the will to establish an election system that operates in an utterly flawless and fair manner?"

The book "The Dandong Project," co-authored by Kim Mi-young and Roy Kim, shows that "the criminal deviant behavior of the South Korean NEC is not limited to domestic issues but has reached the level of an international criminal cartel."

Professor Lee argued that today's South Korea is no longer a country that everyone, including itself, acknowledged as having succeeded in both economic development and democratization until just recently; the current Republic of Korea is neither a normal state nor in normal times. He urged the public to realize the reality that the Republic of Korea is constantly being infiltrated and attacked by internal and external enemies.

Furthermore, he pointed out, "The struggle of the young people that began in Jamsil is not just a fight to secure voting rights, but a fight upon which the life and death of the free democratic republic of Korea depends." He added, "Furthermore, this fight signifies that we have reached a desperate turning point where we must create a world where human conscience and dignity are preserved through the establishment of the rule of law and democratic institutions."

He emphasized that this incident must be viewed in the context of shifting global power dynamics, stating, "The sabotage against us, which has been carried out in a much more sinister way under the guise of democratization over the past several decades, is a 'second Korean War' where we have once again become a forward base in the fierce power competition between the U.S. and China; it is a struggle for the protection and a second founding of the free democratic Republic of Korea."

Finally, he diagnosed that the current situation is unfavorable to pro-South Korean forces, saying, "While the general vested interests of the Republic of Korea do not even sense that the ground beneath them is collapsing, those who have been hiding behind alluring slogans to build their power—socialist zealots, pro-North/pro-China anti-South Korea forces, and underground forces mixed with huge criminal groups—have mobilized their specialty, propaganda and agitation techniques. Having even seized the extraordinary means of monopolizing the operation of the NEC, they have already captured political high ground and major media outlets."

He concluded his commentary by stating, "With a significant portion of the media and so-called social leaders having sold their souls to opportunism and becoming easy targets for China's 'Unrestricted Warfare' (hybrid warfare), the general public, who are starved of information, do not even know what is happening as the country is being stolen wholesale. We have lost our capital and are standing on the Nakdong River frontline."