SEOUL: South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has called on protesters rallying over the June 3 local election ballot shortages to avoid infringing on the rights of others.
“Protesters should be careful not to let their expressions of opinion go so far as to infringe on the rights of others,” he wrote on social media platform X on June 15.
Lee made the remarks while sharing a local news report that said sports organisations with offices inside Olympic Park in southern Seoul had suffered work disruptions because of protesters blocking access to facilities there.
According to the report, the disruptions had left some organisations struggling to carry out administrative work needed for South Korean athletes to participate in international competitions.
The protest has continued around Olympic Park’s handball arena, which was used as a vote-counting centre for the June 3 local elections and is where ballot boxes were kept after the election.
Lee said he had instructed police to conduct a strict investigation not only into those who obstructed work by force, including by blocking civilians from entering facilities, but also into those who conspired in such acts.
The post came a day after he denounced the National Election Commission’s (NEC) handling of the June 3 local elections as a serious failure that infringed on voters’ rights, while warning against what he called baseless conspiracy theories alleging election rigging.
“Whenever I look at this issue, I find something problematic. As you all know, this is a matter of infringement of the right to vote,” Lee said. “This is the foundation of democracy, and it is truly absurd and bewildering that such a thing has happened.”
Lee made the remarks while presiding over a meeting of senior aides held via video link from the Vatican.
The controversy stems from reports of ballot paper shortages and other voting-management failures on election day, which caused voting to be temporarily suspended or delayed at some polling stations.
Lee said he fully recognises and accepts the public’s concerns about the infringement of voting rights.
But he drew a clear line between criticism of the NEC’s poor management and claims of election manipulation.
“Some forces are taking advantage of this to stir up absurd conspiracy theories,” he said.
Lee said some people spreading election fraud claims had threatened police officers and citizens, conducted incomprehensible searches and inspections, blocked access to facilities and obstructed official duties.
“Those responsible should be held accountable in accordance with the law and principles,” he said. “Whatever we do, there are lines that must be observed and the clearest of those lines are the law and institutions.”
He called for a transparent investigation into the incident and the preparation of constructive measures to prevent a recurrence.
“To turn this infringement of citizens’ voting rights into an opportunity to strengthen democracy and popular sovereignty, healthy criticism and constructive alternatives must be guaranteed and pursued together,” Lee said.
“For this, it is necessary to speed up a thorough and transparent fact-finding process.”
He urged the NEC to fully cooperate with a parliamentary investigation, which he said could begin as early as this week.
He also called on the joint investigation team of prosecutors and police to accelerate efforts to determine responsibility “without any sanctuary”.
“It is time for our society as a whole to respond with responsible action to the righteous anger of young people and citizens,” he added. - The Korea Herald/ANN
