1%p 내 초박빙...끝까지 알 수 없는 서울시장 당선자 [이슈톺] / YTN

■ Hosts: Anchor Jo Tae-hyun, Anchor Um Ji-min ■ Guests: Kim Jin-wook, Special Press Advisor to the Democratic Party of Korea Chairman; Lee Jun-woo, Media Spokesperson for the People Power Party The text below may differ from the actual broadcast content. Please refer to the broadcast for more accurate information. When citing, please specify [YTN Public Opinion 2026]. [Anchor] It seems that confusion is inevitable in the short term. We are currently showing you a video that could affect this situation. The results of the Seoul mayoral election have not yet been released. With the vote counting rate just under 90%, the gap between the two candidates has narrowed significantly to just over 20,000 votes. Will we be able to know the final outcome until the very end? [Kim Jin-wook] Seoul is currently showing signs of an extremely close race, and amidst this, there was even a situation where ballot papers ran out in some districts. The National Election Commission's mismanagement is being raised as an issue, and it seems necessary for the Commission to quickly resolve this matter. The National Election Commission is a constitutional body. It means that it is not an agency managed by the government. Therefore, the National Election Commission must clearly state its position on how it intends to handle this ballot shortage crisis. Furthermore, it must not only apologize to the voters but also take full responsibility for any actions that necessitate accountability. However, given that this election could significantly impact the vote counting results in Seoul, I would like to emphasize that a swift resolution to the situation is urgently needed. [Anchor] Currently, the People Power Party is taking the stance that a re-election is necessary. However, the Election Commission maintains that the ballot shortage itself is not grounds for postponing the election or holding a re-election. They state they will investigate the facts once the vote counting is complete, but regardless of the outcome, will the People Power Party be able to accept it? [Lee Jun-woo] No. This is not a matter of interpreting the situation in terms of whether it is advantageous or disadvantageous. Voting should ideally be conducted in an environment where voters can freely make choices until 6 PM, but there are people who stayed up late into the night voting after hearing the exit poll results at 6 PM. Then, the question arises as to whether those people freely and independently expressed their opinions. Because they heard the exit poll results indicating who was in the upper hand and who was at a disadvantage, some may have thought, "The broadcast said the person I intend to vote for is winning, so I don't need to vote," if the results aligned with their own views. Conversely, if the results showed the candidate they wanted to vote for was losing, they might have given up, thinking, "My vote would be wasted anyway." Furthermore, regarding the reports that voting was suspended starting at 4:10 PM—was it then?—people who left home late might not have come out. So, considering these various scenarios, there are 10,000 to 20,000 people who were unable to vote. It is an unpredictable situation. However, since the gap is currently reported to be around 20,000 votes, the stance is that if the results are released in this state, it would be a distorted vote, and therefore, those results cannot be accepted. There was a similar situation in Germany a few years ago. Consequently, they held a re-election. As a result, the mayor and members of parliament were changed. Therefore, from the perspective of the People Power Party, simply apologizing for such an incident and moving on is not enough; since the voting process—the foundation of democracy—has been tainted, I believe it is appropriate to start over. Produced by: Lee Seon ... (omitted) ▶ Original Article: https://www.ytn.co.kr/_ln/0134_202606... ▶ Report a Tip: https://mj.ytn.co.kr/mj/mj_write.php ▣ Subscribe to YTN YouTube Channel: http://goo.gl/Ytb5SZ ⓒ YTN Unauthorized reproduction, redistribution, and use of AI data are prohibited.