A KakaoTalk open chat room created to monitor alleged election fraud during the 9th nationwide local elections held Tuesday has sparked controversy after photos of ballot papers and other materials were shared inside, drawing scrutiny from election authorities.
According to Yonhap News Agency, photos of ballot papers and tally sheets recording voter counts by time slot were posted in real time in the open chat room, which had more than 300 participants, after voting began that morning.
The "voter count tally sheets" shared in the chat room contained the names of polling stations, the names of observers, and figures tallying the number of voters. The phrase "Korea-U.S. Joint Election Fraud Investigation Team" was reportedly written in the lower right corner.
Some of the shared photos appeared to show ballots that had been marked but ruled invalid. Those who posted the photos are presumed to have done so to verify their status as election observers.
Under current election management rules, photography inside polling stations is prohibited to maintain order. In particular, taking photos of ballot papers inside the voting booth can result in up to two years in prison or a fine of up to 4 million won under the Public Official Election Act.
The National Election Commission has also identified the existence of the open chat room and is verifying the facts.
"The people uploading photos appear to be observers. While it is true that filming inside polling stations is not allowed, observers are originally there to perform a monitoring role, so it seems difficult to restrict the act of filming itself under the law," an NEC official said. "If an observer engages in disruptive behavior, there could be grounds for a violation, so we are looking into this matter for now."
However, whether photographing unmarked ballots or ballots that have been marked but ruled invalid and made public constitutes an immediate violation of the law requires further review, according to the NEC.
