Mall Asks for Election Commission Help

On the afternoon of February 22 on the 11th floor of Season Building, Jongno-gu, Seoul, a worker from the Seoul Election Commission (SEC) kindly explained over a microphone how to vote, “Fold only one, and if you stamp two candidates, it will not count.”

The voters are shop owners with shops in “The OT” arcade. With the upcoming opening of the arcade, Korean Tomorrow and Global(KT&G), a tobacco company which owns “The OT,” appointed SEC in charge of the elections to select a chairperson, board, and auditor for the Autonomous Arcade Management Commission.

It is the first time ever that a corporation voluntarily requested to SEC to monitor its elections.

KT&G Development Director Lee Jin-hee said, “In the past, in order to get the favorable spots in the arcade, shopkeepers would often bribe board members. Hence, we requested SEC’s help in order for the Autonomous Arcade Management Commission selection election to fulfill its original purposes of being truly autonomous.”

Twenty workers from SEC who came that day explained how to vote, managed the actual voting, and counted votes, and 26 election monitors watched with cameras on hand to make sure the elections were not meddled.

Director Lee expressed satisfaction, “During this election period, there were virtually no complaints or any allegations that the elections were unfair.”

The election process underwent strict management from the SEC as it is for governmental elections.

KT&G requested on January 7 for SEC’s supervision, and after receiving candidates on February 14, it handed over the candidates’ registrations to the SEC. In the process of registration, SEC dispatched its members and offered advice to KT&G.

After going through all campaigning material to see whether or not it constituted a violation of election laws, the SEC sent the candidates’ campaign material to 990 voters, or shopkeepers, on February 17.

SEC will also supervise the voting and counting just as actual official elections. However, SEC will neither intervene at all in the elections nor if there are violations.

Lee Soo-chul, 48, a candidate in the elections, commented, “Until now, arcade elections were very controversial and had aftermaths, but since SEC is managing the elections, elections rigged with money and offers will probably disappear.”

ditto@donga.com