A man in his 50s was arrested by the police after causing a disturbance at an early polling station, questioning why fingerprints were required.

On the morning of the 29th, the first day of early voting for the 21st presidential election, voters stand in line to cast their ballots at the early voting site set up at the Yeoksam 1-dong community center in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. This is not directly related to the article. /Courtesy of News1

The Jecheon Police Station in North Chungcheong announced on the 29th that a man in his 50s, referred to as Mr. A, was booked on charges of causing a disturbance (violating the Public Official Election Act) in front of an early polling station in the North Chungcheong region during the 21st presidential election.

Mr. A is accused of causing a disturbance at the entrance of the early polling station set up at the Jungang-dong Administrative Welfare Center in Jecheon on this day around 9:45 a.m., arguing with the early voting manager, saying, "Why do I have to give fingerprints? In the main vote, no fingerprints are required. Isn't this an illegal election?"

Under current law, in early voting, voters must verify their identity, then use a digital fingerprint or sign to receive a ballot. In the main vote, after confirming identity, voters must sign or fingerprint the voter list to receive a ballot.

The police stated, "He was arrested on the scene as he did not calm down," noting that "an investigation into the exact circumstances of the incident is underway."

Under the Public Official Election Act, if a disturbance occurs within or within 100 meters of a polling station, election managers can stop or remove the individual. If someone damages ballots or causes a disturbance at a polling station, they may face between one and ten years of imprisonment or fines ranging from 5 million to 30 million won.

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