A court is investigating the circumstances surrounding the disposal of a ballot box from the Jamsil 7-dong polling station in Songpa-gu, Seoul, where a shortage of ballots occurred during the June 3 local elections. Jeon Han-gil, a former history instructor, publicly displayed a ballot box he claims was used at the polling station.
On June 12, Judge Kim Ji-yeon of the Seoul Eastern District Court partially granted an additional evidence preservation request filed by Kim Jeong-cheol, a senior member of the Reform Party and a candidate for mayor.
Judge Kim ordered the Songpa District Election Commission to provide the name of the waste disposal company that received the ballot box, the time of transfer, the date of disposal, and the current location of the box if it has not been disposed of.
The court also mandated the submission of closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage showing the process of the ballot box being removed from the polling station.
Previously, the court had issued a preservation order regarding the ballot box at the Jamsil 7-dong polling station in connection with the ballot shortage. However, when Judge Kim visited the polling station for an on-site inspection on June 10, the ballot box was reportedly not present.
The Songpa District Election Commission explained that it transferred the ballot box to a waste disposal company around noon on June 9, approximately five and a half hours before the court's preservation order. In response, Kim Jeong-cheol filed an additional evidence preservation request to secure related materials, which the court accepted the following day.
However, the court rejected a separate preservation request concerning ballots and ballot boxes at the Jamsil counting center in Olympic Park, stating that it did not find a necessity to preserve these items to prove the ballot shortage.
In a press release, Kim Jeong-cheol stated, "We plan to reapply for evidence preservation regarding the ballots at the counting center as circumstances change, to fully reveal the incompetence of the administration."
On the same day, Jeon Han-gil held a press conference in front of the Olympic Park Handball Stadium, where he revealed the ballot box he claims to have secured through a tip-off.
Jeon asserted, "This time, we have secured evidence that is clear enough for all citizens to understand," adding that he has long possessed substantial evidence of electoral fraud.
Jeon's team believes the displayed box is one of those from the Jamsil 7-dong polling station, where the ballot shortage occurred and where the court had issued a preservation order, but the box was not secured at the site.
Jeon plans to discuss the transfer of the box with the court. If the court does not recognize the authenticity of the item or shows reluctance to accept it, he is considering submitting it to the joint investigation team currently investigating the ballot shortage.
Jeon’s attorney, Lee Seong-jik, mentioned, "There is a possibility that we will submit it as evidence to the joint investigation team."
The authenticity of the publicly displayed box as one used at the Jamsil 7-dong polling station has not yet been confirmed. The box shown by Jeon is labeled "Seoul Mayor Election," while some previously photographed boxes from the site were marked for "District Councilor Election."
Meanwhile, Jeon did not disclose the circumstances of how the box was obtained or the identity of the tipster, citing the need to protect the informant.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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