The National Election Commission (NEC) acknowledged, "It is true that our Cyber Investigation Division is requesting telecommunication companies to delete posts that violate election laws." [Photo=Yonhap News]

Controversy has arisen as posts on channels operated by conservative right-wing YouTubers, including lawyer Park Ju-hyun, have been unilaterally deleted by YouTube Korea.

Recently, it has been reported that posts on prominent conservative right-wing YouTube channels such as 'Park Ju-hyun TV', 'Go Non', and 'Voice of Korea' were deleted under the pretext of 'receipt of legal complaints from government agencies'.

What was so significant about the ‘Results of the Trustworthiness Survey: People Power Party vs. Freedom and Innovation’?

The deleted posts were related to the 'Results of the Trustworthiness Survey: People Power Party vs. Freedom and Innovation'. The seriousness of the issue lies in the fact that the deletion and notification occurred without the affected party having an opportunity to explain their case.

PD Lee Young-don, reporting on the matter through the YouTube channel 'Lee Young-don TV', identified the National Election Commission (NEC) as the entity requesting these deletions.

When Hanmi Ilbo contacted the NEC for confirmation on the 21st, an NEC official stated, "As it is non-public information, we cannot disclose specific deletion cases to the public, but it is true that our Cyber Investigation Division is requesting telecommunication companies to delete posts that violate election laws." The official partially acknowledged this.

Currently, Freedom and Innovation is pursuing legal action against the election officials (NEC employees) who used printed ballots without personal seals during the 21st presidential election.

Freedom and Innovation Sues Election Officials Who Used Printed Seals

The NEC recently sent an official document to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, stating, "The conservative right-wing's claim that 'election officials using seals made by the NEC' and 'replacing the signature of the advance voting manager with a printout' is illegal is incorrect." The document further requested, "Since the courts and the Constitutional Court have ruled it legal, there are no issues, so please allow public officials to carry out election duties with peace of mind."

According to Article 158, Paragraph 3 (Advance Voting) of the Public Official Election Act, advance voting managers must print ballots using a ballot dispenser and then affix their 'personal seal' to the ballot. Under a general legal interpretation, the principle is to stamp an actual seal, not a printed form (seal impression).

However, at advance voting sites, ballots are issued with the manager's seal already printed on the bottom, without the advance voting manager having to stamp each ballot individually. Replacing a personal signature with a printed seal is a clear violation of the law.

The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the NEC, stating, "Printed seals can be considered a method of sealing, and it is difficult to argue that this affected the election results."

Those advocating for the investigation of election irregularities argue, "To ensure the integrity of elections, the possibility of forgery must be blocked at the source by requiring personal seals to be affixed directly as stipulated by law."

Meanwhile, it is reported that in the deleted posts from channels such as 'Park Ju-hyun TV' and 'Voice of Korea', and in the 'Results of the Trustworthiness Survey: People Power Party vs. Freedom and Innovation', Freedom and Innovation held a significant lead.

[Source: Park Ju-hyun SNS]

[Source: Go Non SNS]

[Source: Voice of Korea SNS]

By Lim Yo-hee