The joint US-Korea election fraud investigation team visited a pre-voting polling station set up at the Anjung-eup Administrative Welfare Center in Pyeongtaek on the 29th. (Center) Former Ambassador Motztan, (Right) Dr. Douglas G. Frank [Photo = Hankookilbo]

The joint US-Korea election fraud investigation team visited a pre-voting polling station at the Anjung-eup Administrative Welfare Center in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, on the first day of early voting for the June 3rd local elections, the 29th.

As US officials who entered the country through Incheon International Airport the previous day immediately headed to Pyeongtaek, the constituency of Hwang Kyo-ahn, the leader of the Liberty and Innovation Party, this visit is being interpreted as the first official step in joint US-Korea civilian election monitoring activities, going beyond mere on-site observation.

Dr. Douglas G. Frank and former US Ambassador for International Criminal Justice Motz Tan, who joined the investigation team on the US side, headed to Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, after arriving at Incheon International Airport on the afternoon of the 28th.

They are known to have exchanged opinions with related parties, including Hwang Kyo-ahn, the leader of the Liberty and Innovation Party, who had finished his election campaign schedule, and his wife, and lawyer Park Ju-hyun, until past midnight on the morning of the 29th.

The investigation team is being introduced as individuals connected to Mike Lindell, CEO of Lindell TV.

Lindell is the founder of the US bedding company MyPillow and has continuously raised issues about election fairness since the 2020 US presidential election. Party leader Hwang Kyo-ahn raised the need for a joint US-Korea election fraud investigation during his attendance at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in the US in March, and subsequently, the visit of Lindell's associates to Korea was realized.

In an airport interview immediately after his arrival, Dr. Frank claimed, "Lindell plays golf with President Trump," and added, "President Trump knows what the joint US-Korea election fraud investigation team is doing."

He also stated, "I analyzed Korea's election patterns on the flight to Korea," and emphasized, "It is urgent to restore the voting rights of the citizens of the Republic of Korea."

Former Ambassador Motz Tan also said, "I cannot reveal their names, but high-ranking White House officials and high-ranking state officials I met in the United States are aware of Korea's serious crisis," and expressed his intention to continue election monitoring activities in Korea.

The investigation team explained that a group of IT experts from the United States has also begun monitoring activities simultaneously, but their specific identities and methods of operation have not been disclosed.

This visit to the pre-voting polling station in Pyeongtaek marks the first instance of the investigation team connecting their purpose for visiting Korea to on-site activities.

Pyeongtaek-Eul is the constituency where Hwang Kyo-ahn, leader of the Liberty and Innovation Party, is running in the by-election for the National Assembly. Party leader Hwang has been raising the issue of election fraud as a core political agenda, and the visit of US individuals is known to have been pursued as an extension of this.

However, in the case of former Ambassador Motz Tan, who is participating in the investigation team, police investigation issues are also involved.

According to Yonhap News reports and others, the police requested former Ambassador Tan to appear for questioning on the afternoon of the 29th, but Tan's side reportedly expressed his intention not to attend. Instead, former Ambassador Tan visited the Pyeongtaek pre-voting polling station that morning.

The core issue of the police investigation is remarks made by former Ambassador Tan about President Lee Jae-myung at a press conference in Washington D.C. last year.

It is known that Tan claimed at the time that President Lee was involved in a murder case during his youth and was imprisoned in a juvenile detention center.

The police initially determined that they did not have jurisdiction over the remarks made in the United States, considering that Tan was a foreigner and the location of the remarks was the US. However, the prosecution requested a reinvestigation, stating that domestic investigation is possible if the content of the remarks was broadcast domestically and the resulting damage occurred domestically.

The police have also been investigating Tan for defamation regarding his repetition of similar remarks at the Eunpyeong Jeil Church in Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul, during his visit to Korea in July last year. However, as it became difficult to investigate while Tan resided in the United States, an investigation suspension was issued at the end of March.

With this visit to Korea, the police attempted to pursue the investigation again, but as Tan's side did not comply with the summons, there is a possibility of further summons or investigation procedures in the future.

The investigation team is describing this activity as a private international cooperation for election monitoring and verification.

They argue that the issue of fairness in Korean elections is not just a domestic political controversy but also connected to international election credibility issues. On the other hand, the ruling party and some media outlets view this as spreading suspicions of election fraud and are criticizing it.

Religious colors were also revealed at the Pyeongtaek meeting.

Upon his arrival, Dr. Frank stated that he is a Protestant. It is reported that Party leader Hwang, his wife Choi Ji-young, former Ambassador Tan, and others prayed together at the Pyeongtaek meeting for the protection of the Republic of Korea before entering into strategic discussions.

The investigation team's stance is that they view this activity not as a mere political move but as a mission to restore liberal democracy and election credibility.

The joint US-Korea election fraud investigation team's visit to the Pyeongtaek pre-voting polling station is not simply a site visit.

It is an incident where the Lindell team's visit, Hwang Kyo-ahn's candidacy in Pyeongtaek-Eul, the controversy surrounding the police summons for former Ambassador Motz Tan, and the early voting for the June 3rd local elections all converged into one scene.

The next issues to be addressed are how the investigation team will present actual data and evidence, and what procedures the police will follow regarding the investigation of former Ambassador Tan.