Statements and wall posters condemning the "ballot shortage crisis" that occurred during the 9th nationwide local elections held simultaneously (the June 3 local elections) are rapidly spreading across university campuses nationwide. Students are calling the crisis a violation of suffrage and a failure of election management, urging a thorough fact-finding probe and measures to prevent a recurrence.
However, voices are growing within academia that this issue should be kept separate from the "rigged election" claims now being raised. They note that criticism of election management failures and claims of tampering with election results are entirely different matters.
◇ 65% of statements and wall posters demand measures to prevent a recurrence
According to "A Record of One Vote" on the 9th, 361 related statements and wall posters were posted at 186 universities nationwide over six days after the ballot shortage crisis erupted. "A Record of One Vote" is a site that compiles condemning statements and wall posters related to the ballot shortage crisis at each university.
The movement spread quickly after the general student councils of Kyunghee University and Hankuk University of Foreign Studies posted wall posters on the 4th condemning the "violation of suffrage." It then expanded across campuses as not only general student councils but also college student councils, departments, small groups, and individuals released statements and wall posters in succession.
An analysis by "A Record of One Vote" of the demands contained in the 361 statements and wall posters found, on a multiple-response basis, that "measures to prevent a recurrence" was the most common at 65% (233 items). That was followed by condemnations of the election commission and authorities at 51% (183), fact-finding at 39% (141), and punishment or resignation of those responsible at 33% (119). Calls for a rerun or re-vote were at 6% (20). This is interpreted to mean that campus concerns are focused more on normalizing the election management system and establishing accountability than on simple political slogans.
In fact, many of the statements issued by universities said the crisis should not be used as fodder for political strife. In a statement on the 5th, the Seoul National University council of college student presidents said, "The current situation in which the fundamental rights of representative democracy are being hindered must never be the subject of political strife, nor should it be used as a tool for it." It added, "We also do not agree with claims that use this crisis to sow distrust in past election results and the democratic election system."
The emergency central steering committee of the Korea University general student council also said, "Beyond political strife, we seek to hold accountable the failures in election management that shook the rights of the sovereign." The Sogang University general student council likewise said in a wall poster, "Political circles and all sectors of society must stop using this issue as a tool for political strife."
◇ "Election mismanagement and tampering with election results are different issues"
Universities are also seeing moves to distance themselves from "rigged election" theories suggesting the results were manipulated by outside interference. Seoul National University students held a "joint action" in front of the student union building the previous day, saying, "The state of affairs declarations by far-right groups exploit the public's rightful anger to propagate rigged election conspiracy theories and to expand their influence on campuses." The wall poster was signed by 174 current students and alumni.
The wall poster said, "The election commission's mismanagement deserves condemnation, and a thorough investigation and punishment of those responsible must follow, but asserting a rigged election in the sense of state institutions manipulating the results is an entirely different issue."
At Konkuk University on the same day, a joint signature drive began for a statement titled "Konkuk University members opposing the far-right agitation that exploits legitimate distrust of the election commission." In their wall poster, they said, "Election mismanagement has given far-right forces an opening for rigged election conspiracy theories," while adding, "Members of the university who truly support democracy must neither be fooled by far-right camouflage nor respond to their appeals." More than 100 people are said to have taken part so far.
A similar current is seen around Olympic Park in Songpa District, Seoul, where protests against the ballot shortage crisis are continuing. Among rally participants, there were reportedly efforts to draw a line by limiting slogans to "rerun the election" rather than "rigged election."
Experts interpret the phenomenon as an outpouring of the younger generation's awareness of a violation of their suffrage. At the same time, they say the students show strong resistance to having their anger co-opted by particular political forces or conspiracy theories.
Lee Byung-hoon, an emeritus professor of sociology at Chung-Ang University, said, "The essence of this issue is that the social frustration and sense of deprivation felt by the younger generation have surfaced with the election commission crisis," adding, "We are seeing students push back against outside political forces entering protest spaces when those forces are distinct from the students' own positions."
◇ simultaneous political statements by general student councils at 12 universities nationwide
The campus movement is expected to lead to a joint political statement on this day. At 6 p.m., the general student councils of 12 universities nationwide will hold simultaneous rallies on their campuses to mark the anniversary of the June 10 Democratic Uprising and release a political statement. The participating universities are Konkuk University, Korea University, Kyunghee University, Sogang University, Seoul National University, University of Seoul, Sungkyunkwan University, Soongsil University, Yonsei University, Chonnam National University, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, and Hongik University.
The statement they release is expected to call for a fact-finding probe through a National Assembly investigation and a special prosecutor, punishment of those responsible, remedies for violations of basic national rights, structural reform of the National Election Commission, and the establishment of a citizen-participation reform oversight body.