Democracy beats out virus in S. Korea

A camera journalist from a foreign media at a polling stating, Wednesday/ Yonhap

By Do Je-hae

The general election in Korea has captured global attention as one of the first cases of a COVID-19 hotspot to successfully undertake a major, national-level election.

Despite fears over infection from mass gatherings, Korea did not choose to postpone or cancel the Wednesday elections as was the case in countries such as France, Russia and some U.S. states.

"South Korea has never postponed an election including the presidential election of 1952, which went ahead despite the country being in the middle of the Korean War," a BBC report noted.

Above all, a big surprise in this election was the strong voter turnout at 66.2 percent, the highest for a parliamentary election in 28 years.

"The world is marveling at this election. Thanks to the active cooperation and participation of the people, we were one of the few countries to hold a national election amid the pandemic," President Moon Jae-in said in a statement, Thursday. "The people participated in the voting in an orderly manner and recorded a miraculous turnout, including those in self-quarantine."

Some foreign media reports interpreted the unexpectedly high turnout as a show of Koreans' commitment to democracy. A Bloomberg report said that Koreans see elections as "essential" after decades of authoritarian rule.

The foreign media is also calling Korea a model for the staging of a safe election. The Washington Post printed an editorial, titled "Global democracy will be weakened without fair elections. South Korea shows they're possible."

In particular, various reports are lauding Korea's preparedness for a safe election amid the pandemic.

Korea's National Election Commission implemented steps to ensure safety at the ballots, such as having voters wear face masks and plastic gloves, taking their temperatures and maintaining a 1-meter distance between voters when they lined up to enter the polling booth. President Moon was subject to the same precautionary measures when he took part in early voting, April 10.

People infected with COVID-19 and quarantined were allowed to vote by mail if they registered for it earlier, and others in self-quarantine were allowed to vote at polling stations in a separate time slot from the rest of the voters. These careful measures, in addition to the rapid drop in the number of infections, assured Koreans that it was safe to vote.

It was also the first time for 18 year olds to vote following a revision to the Election Law on the voting age.

The U.S. congratulated Korea on the elections. "The United States would like to congratulate the Republic of Korea on holding successful legislative elections. The ROK's dedication to democratic values in the face of a global pandemic is a hallmark of a truly free, open, and transparent society ― qualities that are necessary in facing the current crisis, key to the Republic of Korea's successful management of COVID-19, and a model for others around the world," U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement.

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