Don’t make travesty of rivals in this election

Wednesday is Election Day. After the 13-day official campaign period ends today, all that’s left is to wait for voters’ final decision. Unfortunately, rumors already spread over the possibility of rigged preliminary votes, while the practice of making travesty of the election only dampens the heated campaign after a record high turnout in the early voting last week.

Shortly after the preliminary voting on Friday and Saturday, a YouTube channel aired CCTV footage on the members of the Eunpyeong District Election Management Committee under the National Election Commission (NEC) and two representatives of the governing People Power Party (PPP) and the majority Democratic Party (DP). The video showed scenes of the members confirming the envelopes containing the preliminary ballots cast outside the district and putting them into an official ballot box. The YouTuber raised the theory of vote rigging in the process. But the NEC immediately denied any possibility of vote fraud.

Nevertheless, the ungrounded allegation went viral. Even politicians, conservative or liberal, raised suspicions over “a huge number of preliminary votes.” In the last parliamentary election four years ago, 126 claims were filed with the court on charges of rigging preliminary votes and other election fraud. But the court didn’t accept any of the allegations at the time. The YouTuber also didn’t present any tangible evidence of vote rigging before or after the early voting.

On a campaign trail, DP leader Lee Jae-myung attacked the NEC for not allowing DP supporters to bring green onions to polling stations on Election Day. Lee’s attack suggests an intention to exploit President Yoon Suk Yeol’s insensitivity to high vegetable prices to help win more votes in the election. Former Justice Minister Cho Kuk — the current leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party that he created “to bring the prosecution-based dictatorial government to justice” — has already hoisted the banner of “a green onion-triggered revolution.”

The PPP also responded strongly. PPP interim leader Han Dong-hoon countered, “Why are we not allowed to bring fake award certificates, corporate credit cards, and a photo of an actress to the polling places?” — which is directly linked to the tainted pasts of Lee Jae-myung and Cho Kuk.

Voters’ rights to cast their ballots must not be hampered no matter what. Indiscriminate incitement of the people and making fun of their opponents must be shunned. The NEC must thoroughly check the whole election procedure. We hope that more than 30 million voters make a cold judgment at the last minute.