Over the so-called "twin votes" controversy in which major candidates recorded the same early voting tallies in some areas of the June 3 local elections, the National Election Commission said it was "a coincidence."
The Jeonnam Provincial Election Commission on the 9th explained that in the Jeonnam-Gwangju integrated special mayoral race, the vote totals for Democratic Party of Korea candidate Min Hyung-bae and People Power Party candidate Lee Jung-hyun were identical in some areas, saying, "An analysis of the detailed ballot count shows that only the final vote totals happened to match by coincidence."
According to the Jeonnam commission, in Geumsan-myeon, Goheung-gun, and Songjeong 1-dong, Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju, Min received 1,401 votes each and Lee received 120 votes each. In Samil-dong, Yeosu-si, and Hawi-myeon, Sinan-gun, Min had 506 votes and Lee 42, the same in both places, and in Nodong-myeon, Boseong-gun, and Palkgeum-myeon, Sinan-gun, Min had 356 votes and Lee 42, also identical. In Iyang-myeon, Hwasun-gun, and Byeongyeong-myeon, Gangjin-gun, Min recorded 444 votes and Lee 46, the same totals.
The Jeonnam commission said the number of eligible voters, total ballots cast, invalid ballots, and each candidate's detailed tallies differed by area. It noted that after the ballot sorter conducted the first classification and the review and tabulation team visually checked and manually summed ballots requiring verification, the end result was that only the two candidates' totals happened to be the same.
A similar case also appeared in the Incheon mayoral race. In early voting within Songdo 1-dong and Songdo 2-dong of Yeonsu-gu, Incheon, Democratic Party of Korea winner Park Chan-dae received 3,030 votes each, and People Power Party candidate Yoo Jeong-bok received 1,440 votes each, according to the tally.
The Incheon City Election Commission also said in an explanatory release, "Although the leading candidates' vote totals in the two dongs matched and are being cited to allege fabrication, the total number of voters, the other candidates' vote counts, and other details all differ."
The commission emphasized that observers recommended by parties and candidates participate throughout the counting process, and that results tabulated by different locations and staff happened to coincide by chance. It added, "Please refrain from raising or spreading baseless suspicions about fairly tabulated election results solely on the grounds that such coincidences are statistically rare."