The National Association of Professors for Social Justice (Nat. Prof. Assoc.), representing over 6,300 professors nationwide, is urging the Constitutional Court to review and rule on the unconstitutionality of the early voting system before the April 10 general election, in order to ensure transparency in the elections and prevent national division. [Hanmi Ilbo]

There is a peculiar fascination with watching fires, so much so that the term 'fire gazing' exists. Fireworks, a staple at festivals, and Jwibulnori (fire play) enjoyed every Jeongwol Daeboreum (the first full moon of the lunar year), are all cultural practices stemming from humanity's innate interest in observing flames.

Fire can bring warmth and joy when used properly, but if mishandled, it can instantly consume everything. To enjoy it safely while minimizing damage, we use the expression "watching a fire from across the river." This refers to an attitude of indifference or viewing someone else's misfortune and danger as mere entertainment, as long as it doesn't directly affect oneself.

However, what if the fire you were watching from across the river was actually burning down your own house? The public's current attitude towards the controversy surrounding fraudulent elections in South Korea today perfectly aligns with this expression.

The public, already disillusioned with politics, dismisses those advocating for election fraud as deluded fanatics or forces attempting to usurp political power. This attests to the significant success of the strategy employed by those who perpetrate and benefit from election fraud: "When you cannot refute the message, attack the messenger."

Who speaks becomes more important than the substance of the suspicion, and even a thoroughly confirmed message loses its power if the messenger appears tainted.

As a result, the public turns away, saying, "You politicians can just fight amongst yourselves."

This may seem like a cold and lofty judgment, but at its core, it is an evasion of responsibility. The reality that allows this to happen is by no means trivial.

Since 2020, the statistical and circumstantial evidence is abundant: the recurring discrepancies in vote percentages between early and main voting, stiff ballot papers found during recounts, ballots that appear to have been printed at commercial printing facilities rather than by printers at polling stations, thousands of ballots stamped with a supervising official's seal that smeared like a Japanese flag, and ballots with arrows printed on them.

Despite this, the public who believe it to be a 'conspiracy theory' repeatedly say the same thing.

"In this age of advanced digital technology, could such manipulation be possible?"

"More definitive proof is needed."

This is akin to watching a fire across the river and saying, "If you show me something more convincing, I'll help put out the fire." However, the fire of election fraud currently raging in our society is not burning down another's house; it is burning down your own. The moment you stop questioning and start believing without doubt, surveillance ceases, and manipulation begins. 

"Just keep talking amongst yourselves." "I neither believe it nor care."

Such an attitude is closer to a historically recurring delusion. Even the Titanic, before its sinking, was believed by many to be unsinkable.

We have adopted a system of representative democracy, where we delegate the exercise of sovereignty by electing representatives to lead our community in our stead through elections. Elections are the sum of collective wisdom and the rudder that determines the future of our community.

However, a distorted rudder leads only to sinking amidst the stormy seas. 

An election where even the slightest contamination or distortion is permitted is not a celebration of democracy but a frenzied dance that invites dictatorship and foreign influence.

Doubt is the door to truth, but certainty is an obstacle blocking that path. 

If you are still viewing suspicions of election fraud as if watching a fire from across the river, do not forget that the house burning is your own. What is needed now is not passive observation but responsible civic action.

◆ Min Byung-gon, Author 

Current: Political Documentary Writer 

Current: Spokesperson for the Incheon City Chapter of the People Power Party