Jang Dong-hyuk, leader of the People Power Party, points to the identical voting results in 12 locations nationwide, stating, "It's a probability that requires multiplying 1 in 590 million by 6." [Photo = Yonhap News]

The vote counting results for the Incheon mayoral election in the 6.3 National Simultaneous Local Elections revealed that the vote counts for major candidates in the early voting for the neighboring Incheon Songdo 1-dong and 2-dong were tallied identically, down to the decimal point.

Songdo 1st and 2nd Dongs Early Voting: Identical Vote Counts of '3030 vs 1440'

According to the National Election Commission's election statistics system on the 8th, the results of early voting within Incheon City showed that the vote counts obtained by Park Chan-dae of the Democratic Party and Yoo Jeong-bok of the People Power Party in Songdo 1-dong and Songdo 2-dong were exactly the same.

While the total number of voters, invalid votes, abstentions, and the vote counts for Lee Ki-boong of the minor Reform Party (Songdo 1-dong 61 votes, Songdo 2-dong 47 votes) differed in these two areas, the vote counts for the two major party candidates, Yoo and Park, were coincidentally identical at 3030 and 1440 votes respectively.

This phenomenon did not occur in the final voting results. In the final vote, the tally showed △Songdo 1-dong: Park Chan-dae 5139 votes vs Yoo Jeong-bok 7692 votes △Songdo 2-dong: Park Chan-dae 4322 votes vs Yoo Jeong-bok 6660 votes, with Yoo clearly leading.

Yoo Jeong-bok, the incumbent Incheon Mayor who lost the election, immediately protested. Regarding the results, Mayor Yoo questioned the credibility of the election, stating, "This is a result that cannot happen probabilistically."

Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok, who lost the election. [Photo = Incheon City]

In Songdo 1-dong and 3-dong, the total number of voters, invalid votes, abstentions, and the vote counts for Lee Ki-boong of the minor Reform Party (Songdo 1-dong 61 votes, Songdo 2-dong 47 votes) were all different. However, coincidentally, the vote counts for the two major party candidates were exactly the same, at 3030 and 1440 votes respectively.

Jang Dong-hyuk: "An event that cannot happen even once until the end of the Earth"

This phenomenon is not limited to the Songdo area of Incheon. Jang Dong-hyuk, leader of the People Power Party, held a press conference on the 9th with a sign that read, "Identical Votes in Early Voting Nationwide in 12 Locations."

According to Representative Jang, there were a total of 12 locations where identical votes were cast. In addition to the Songdo area, these included △Songjeong 1-dong, Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju: Min Hyeong-bae 1401 votes vs Lee Jeong-hyun 120 votes △Geumsan-myeon, Goheung-gun, Jeonnam: Min Hyeong-bae 1401 votes vs Lee Jeong-hyun 120 votes.

Other areas in Jeonnam also showed identical votes: △Ha-ui-myeon, Sinan-gun, Jeonnam: Min Hyeong-bae 506 votes vs Lee Jeong-hyun 42 votes △Samil-dong, Yeosu-si, Jeonnam: Min Hyeong-bae 506 votes vs Lee Jeong-hyun 42 votes.

Similar cases were found in Hwasun and Gangjin: △Iyang-myeon, Hwasun-gun, Jeonnam: Min Hyeong-bae 444 votes vs Lee Jeong-hyun 46 votes △Byeongyeong-myeon, Gangjin-gun, Jeonnam: Min Hyeong-bae 444 votes vs Lee Jeong-hyun 46 votes.

The cases in Hampyeong and Jangseong were also similar. △Eom-myeon, Hampyeong-gun, Jeonnam: Min Hyeong-bae 606 votes vs Lee Jeong-hyun 57 votes △Bukha-myeon, Jangseong-gun, Jeonnam: Min Hyeong-bae 606 votes vs Lee Jeong-hyun 57 votes were exactly the same.

Furthermore, in a contest between Min Hyeong-bae and Lee Jeong-hyun in △Nodong-myeon, Boseong-gun, Jeonnam: Min Hyeong-bae 356 votes vs Lee Jeong-hyun 42 votes △Palgum-myeon, Sinan-gun, Jeonnam: Min Hyeong-bae 356 votes vs Lee Jeong-hyun 42 votes, the results were identical.

Representative Jang stated, "The probability of the vote counts between candidates Yoo Jeong-bok and Park Chan-dae being exactly the same is 1 in 590 million," and added, "If we include the election cases in Gwangju and Jeonnam, it's a probability that requires multiplying 1 in 590 million by 6."

He further emphasized, "If a coincidence that is highly unlikely to occur even once until the end of the Earth has happened, there is a need to resolve public suspicion." Voices demanding transparent verification are also emerging on online communities and social media, questioning, "How can such numbers appear without artificial manipulation?"

Meanwhile, the National Election Commission explained, "The numbers are coincidentally the same, but there were no tallying errors or artificial intervention."

Lim Yo-hee