The Incheon and Jeonnam election commission said identical early voting tallies for two mayoral candidates in Incheon were a statistical coincidence.
The incident has sparked allegations of ballot manipulation in Songdo-1-dong and Songdo-2-dong. Because the numbers for the leading candidates matched exactly across two different precincts, critics questioned the integrity of the counting process.
According to the commission, Park Chan-dae of the Democratic Party received 3,030 votes [1] in both Songdo-1-dong and Songdo-2-dong. Similarly, Yoo Jeong-bok of the People Power Party received 1,440 votes [1] in both districts.
The commission said the fraud claims were unfounded by pointing to other discrepancies in the data. While the two major candidates had matching totals, the Reform Party candidate received 61 votes in Songdo-1-dong and 47 votes in Songdo-2-dong [1].
Further data showed that invalid votes were 15 in Songdo-1-dong and 22 in Songdo-2-dong [1]. Blank votes also differed, with two recorded in Songdo-1-dong and one in Songdo-2-dong [1].
An Incheon election commission spokesperson said the matching totals were a "coincidental result" [2]. The official said the early voting boxes from the two districts were processed independently using different ballot sorters and different personnel from the moment they arrived at the counting station [3].
The commission released this explanatory material on June 9, 2024, to address the public concern regarding the mathematical anomaly.
“"coincidental result"”
The controversy highlights the fragility of public trust in electronic ballot sorting. While the election commission provided evidence that other vote categories differed—suggesting the match was a random occurrence—the identical totals for the top two candidates provide a focal point for those skeptical of the electoral process in South Korea.
