Some People Go Against All Odds to Vote
By Kim Rahn
Staff Reporter
Nothing can stop some people from voting ― not bad weather, epidemics, physical challenges nor old age.
Residents on some 40 islands in the Tongyeong area on the southern coast in South Gyeongsang Province had difficulty voting, as warnings or high waves prevented small boats from making it to several main islands where the polling stations were set up.
As ferries and boats operated by the election commission in Tongyeong were unable to connect the polling locations and islands, the Tongyeong Coast Guard dispatched patrol boats to help with the transportation.
At some stations in Jeongeup and Gimje in North Jeolla Province, where the virulent bird flu strain was found in poultry farms, voters could only enter the polling venues after disinfecting their shoes.
Residents in Taean, South Chungcheong Province, suspended the oil-cleanup to cast their ballots. The region was hit by the nation's worst oil spill after the collision of an oil tanker and a barge last December.
``A special law to compensate Taean residents was made but it did not reflect our demands properly. Regardless of political affiliation, I selected a candidate who would take care of the oil damage issue,'' resident Kang Tae-chang, 47, said.
Four workers at a mountain shelter near Daecheong Peak in Mount Seorak, Gangwon Province, all took part in the voting. Two of them descended the mountain Tuesday evening to vote early Wednesday. They returned to their shelter after four hours of climbing, and then the other two climbed down, voted, and went up again.
The oldest woman in Gyeonggi Province, 117-year-old Jeong Mae, cast a vote after police brought her to the polling station by patrol car. She is living in a home for the elderly in Yongin with her 75-year-old daughter-in-law.
``Her vision is weak and she cannot walk alone, but she waited for the car after getting ready from 6 a.m. She said she selected a candidate who pledged to support welfare centers for the elderly,'' said a worker at the welfare center.
However, 119-year-old Lee Gok-seong in North Gyeongsang Province, known as the oldest person in Korea, could not make it due to illness.
In Gwangju, elderly or disabled citizens participated with the help of firemen.
The city adopted a service in which firemen help the elderly get to polling stations via ambulance if they apply for the service a day in advance.
Many disabled people headed to polling stations by wheelchair or with the help of welfare center staff.
``Politicians usually pay attention to the disabled only during the electioneering period and then neglect them after being elected. I hope they will always be concerned about the welfare of the disabled,'' said Na Young-shin, the head of a rights group for the disabled in North Jeolla Province.