By Chung Ah-young
Staff Reporter
JEJU ― A recall action against Jeju Governor Kim Tae-hwan was nullified in a vote Wednesday due to a low turnout of voters, allowing him to continue in his position.
The vote was held from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. at 226 polling stations across the province to decide whether to unseat the governor over his plan to build a naval base on the island. But only 11 percent of eligible voters turned out, failing to satisfy the quorum for the recall vote.
According to the relevant law, if less than one-third of residents don't participate in the vote, the election watchdog will not count the ballots. The governor can be ousted if more than one-third of eligible residents cast a vote and more than half of them are in favor of the recall.
Kim had been suspended from duty for three weeks until the voting day for pushing ahead with a plan to establish a naval base on the resort island despite public opposition. But he was immediately returned to his governorship as the recall vote was invalidated.
It was the first recall action against a provincial governor since 2007.
The vote comes after a coalition of 35 civic groups campaigned for the dismissal of Kim after he signed a memorandum of understanding with the central government in April to station a military facility at Gangjeong Port near Seogwipo by 2014. They claimed the naval base will heighten regional military tensions and damage the island's ecosystem.
The recall system was initiated by the government of then-President Roh Moo-hyun in 2007, allowing local residents to demand a recall vote for any metropolitan city or province head if the move is supported by more than 15 percent of eligible voters.
In December 2007, the nation's first recall vote was held against Hanam City Mayor Kim Hwang-sik, who was in conflict with residents over his plan to construct a large crematorium in the city. However, the vote was void as the turnout was less than one-third of eligible residents.
"I appreciate the residents' decision to continue my duty for the progress of the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province without suspension,'' Kim said in a press conference after the vote.
But he added, ``There is no winner in this recall vote. I will do my best for the development of the province, as the residents were worried because of me.''
He also said that he will enhance the efforts to communicate with the region's civic groups to overcome the conflicts.
``I will visit Gangjeong Village which is suffering from internal conflicts due to the construction of the naval base to communicate with the residents,'' he said.