Seven Lawsuits Filed for the Nullification of Elected Candidates in 17th General Election

The Supreme Court announced on May 16 that a total of seven lawsuits were filed for the nullification of elected candidates in 17th general election by May 15, the closing date for lawsuits. The number of lawsuits was relatively small compared to 28 for the 16th general election, and nine for the 15th election.

Election law stipulates that a lawsuit regarding the election should be instituted within thirty days from Election Day.

Those who filed suits are an Uri Party candidate Park Ki-eok, Grand National Party (GNP) candidates Lee Seong-hun and Yoon Sang-hyun, United Liberal Democrats (ULD) candidate Park Sang-oh, and four Millennium Democratic Party (MDP) candidates of proportional representation.

Lee Seong-hun, who lost to Uri Party candidate Woo Sang-ho by 1,895 votes in Seodaemun, Seoul, filed a lawsuit against both Woo and the local Election Committee. Accordingly, seven lawsuits were filed in total, with a lawsuit by four MDP candidates counting as one.

The Supreme Court revealed that Park Ki-eok, who lost by nine votes in Tang-jin, South Chungchong province, called for a recount, and that the other candidates filed lawsuits for nullification over violations of election law, reduced reporting of personal assets, or false reports of personal schooling history.

Four candidates of proportional representation from the MDP filed a lawsuit against the National Election Committee over concerns that the procedure to elect candidates of proportional representation was not justifiable.

The Supreme Court took action to save the ballot box from Tang-jin by accepting Park’s appeal for a recount, and it will decide the date for the recount at the first plea session, which will be held sometime this week.

Soo-Hyung Lee sooh@donga.com