The ballot boxes for the Tongyeong mayoral election in South Gyeongsang Province, which was decided by the narrowest margin in the country, were reopened, but the outcome remained unchanged.
The South Gyeongsang Provincial Election Commission announced that the recount of the Tongyeong mayoral election, held in the main conference room of the Seongsan-gu Election Commission office in Changwon, reaffirmed the final victory of incumbent Mayor Kang Suk-ju of the Democratic Party of Korea.
As a result of the recount verification, out of a total of 69,693 votes cast, Mayor Kang Suk-ju received 33,626 votes, the same as the original count.
On the other hand, former Mayor Chun Young-gi of the People Power Party saw his tally increase by 6 votes from the initial 33,582 to 33,588 votes.
Consequently, the margin between the two candidates narrowed by 6 votes from 44 votes to 38 votes, but it was not enough to overturn the result.
Jeon Han-gil, a former Korean history instructor who has raised suspicions of election fraud, participated as an observer during the recount process to monitor proceedings.
Jeon demanded that the counting staff inspect each ballot individually, claiming, "If the red stamp ink does not bleed through to the back of the ballot, it is printed."
Due to repeated objections and manual recount verification procedures, the work, which was originally expected to finish between 8:00 PM and 9:00 PM the previous day, dragged past midnight and concluded only at 3:00 AM today.
This recount took place after the camp of former Mayor Chun, refusing to accept the election results, filed an election appeal seeking to invalidate the election while claiming potential errors in the ballot sorter system.
Chun's camp repeatedly raised issues, citing the denial of direct video recording at the recount site, the absence of CCTV cameras in the box storage area, and inadequate seal conditions on 37 ballot storage boxes.
Based on the recount results, the election invalidation appeal filed by former Mayor Chun is expected to be dismissed.
The cost of the recount, amounting to approximately 19.22 million won, will be borne entirely by former Mayor Chun, who filed the appeal.
Previously, recounts were also conducted for the Chungju mayoral election in North Chungcheong Province and the Busan Metropolitan Council election, but none resulted in overturned outcomes.
Reported by Kim Jiuk | Video by Lee Eui-seon | Design by Lee Su-min | Produced by SBS Digital News
※
Copying, redistribution, and unauthorized use in AI training are strictly prohibited.