The first nationwide local elections held in June 1995, when South Koreans began choosing their own neighborhood representatives, marked a meaningful start for grassroots democracy. From that very first local election, the delivery of election pamphlets to every voter's household under the responsibility of the National Election Commission also had its own rationale. The aim was to narrow disparities in publicity among candidates that arise from differences in organization and funding, and to curb the indiscriminate posting of placards and distribution of leaflets. Even now, three decades later, the delivery of election pamphlets continues unchanged. In this year's local government and by-elections, a total of 7,770 candidates ran for office, and 24 million envelopes containing related campaign materials were delivered to households. With races for metropolitan mayors and governors, county heads, district chiefs, regional and basic council members, proportional representatives, and education superintendents, on top of by-elections, the pamphlets received by a single voter run to dozens of pages.
Yet many of these pamphlets head straight to the trash without their contents ever being examined. Some are so thick they cannot fit into mailboxes and end up scattered on entryway floors. Forget comparing candidates — even skimming through them is a daunting task, a kind of "pamphlet phobia." Although 30 billion won of taxpayers' money has been poured into election pamphlets, only about 10 percent of voters say they read them carefully. Unable to bear it any longer, VANK, the cyber diplomatic mission, raised the banner of a "Smart Election Culture" on the 1st. The aim is to save the planet by reducing paper consumption and to stop wasted spending. The group also proposed phasing out paper pamphlets and offering incentives such as electronic coupons to voters who review campaign pledges online.
The call for "elections without paper pamphlets" is not new. A bill to revise the Public Official Election Act was introduced in the 22nd National Assembly, but it ultimately fizzled out. Of course, abolishing paper pamphlets in one stroke could be a risky choice, as it would create a gap in election information for the elderly and other groups with limited access to digital information. In that case, a compromise worth considering would be to make online viewing the default while allowing those who want paper pamphlets to apply for them. Breaking with an entrenched practice that has lasted more than 30 years since 1995 may not be easy. Still, it is hardly desirable to continue tolerating the waste of election pamphlets that cost hundreds of billions of won to produce, only to be discarded unread.
