Election Brokering Out of Control

"Brokers are everywhere but no one dares to report them."
Police force members are expressing their frustration at the difficulty in tracking down election brokers. Only a few days ago they obtained specific information about a broker organization which was demanding great sums of money from a certain party member in return for ballots. When the police force arrived at the party's headquarters, however, party staff refused to comment except to deny the charges. The police had no choice but to leave.
As the April 13 General Election approaches, vote brokers are exercising their power everywhere, but candidates are reluctant to report these people right away for fear of losing votes. Our reporters investigated 100 district party chapters in 45 districts in Seoul. Of those investigated, 80 places revealed that they have received offers from election brokers. Nevertheless, neither the Central Election Managment Committee (CEMC) nor the police force have yet received any official reports of broker activity.
Election brokers did not do much business during the 1998 June 4 local elections due to the International Monetary Fund policy. However, now that the Korean economy is on the road to recovery, election brokers are in their element for the upcoming General Elections.
One district party chapter chairman in the Kangnam district confessed, "From the moment I declared my intention to run in the election, I have been beset by brokers demanding exorbitant sums of money".
Such confessions are not helping to change the situation, however. Won-gu, director of the Electoral Guide division of the CEMC, notes, "Even the candidates that acknowledge the damage caused by brokers stop talking when confronted with naming these brokers for the police."