67 Hours of CCTV Footage: Key Evidence in Ballot Shortage Scandal?

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Q. How was the CCTV footage obtained?

[Reporter Go Jeong-hyeon: We previously reported exclusively on the CCTV footage from Polling Station No. 7 in Jamsil 4-dong on June 23. Similar to that instance, this footage was released after the court granted a request for evidence disclosure filed by Kim Jeong-chul, a Supreme Council member of the Reform Party who was a candidate for Seoul Mayor. The CCTV footage released today, July 16, spans a total of 67 hours and can be considered a record that captures the infringement of citizens' voting rights. Council member Kim stated that he is also considering organizing voters from Jamsil 7-dong to file a claim for damages.]

Q. Is this a symbol of the ballot shortage crisis and key evidence?

[Reporter Go Jeong-hyeon: That is correct. Polling Station No. 2 in Jamsil 7-dong was the only location where voting hours were extended until 10:00 PM. It has been a site of significant controversy regarding whether proper procedures were followed during the decision-making process and whether there were issues of fairness compared to other polling stations. As this location is central to election appeals, investigations, and court proceedings, the CCTV footage is highly significant because it provides objective, chronological data on how voting was actually managed and how the National Election Commission (NEC) responded. While the NEC announced that voting was suspended for 53 minutes at the time, the CCTV footage appears to show that the suspension lasted 20 minutes longer. Furthermore, actions such as continuing to vote after the polls closed and locking doors during the extended voting hours are open to criticism as infringements on voting rights. Since election appeals must be resolved within 60 days of filing, the NEC is expected to provide a conclusion around the middle of next month. However, as SBS has exclusively reported, the NEC has already sent guidelines to regional election commissions to dismiss such appeals, meaning that controversy is likely to persist regardless of the outcome. Additionally, the side that filed the appeal is highly likely to resume election litigation in court, in which case this CCTV footage could serve as a key piece of evidence.]

(Video Editing: Lee Seung-hee)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.