Political Reform K: countermeasures for “manipulation of opinion polls”

[Anchor]

Yes, Political Reform K, today's topic is public opinion polls.

Every election, controversies over manipulation arise often.

There are growing calls for fundamental measures.

Kim Young-eun reports.

[Report]

One of the biggest controversies during this National Assembly audit was the 'allegations of public opinion poll manipulation' involving political broker Myung Tae-kyun related to the 2021 People Power Party presidential candidate primary.

[Kang Hye-kyung/'Myung Tae-kyun Public Opinion Poll Manipulation Allegations' Witness/Oct. 21: "The response rate for those in their 20s and 30s, so the number of people who supported Yoon Suk Yeol (the candidate at the time) was increased. They did it by multiplying."]

[Park Eun-jung/Rebuilding Korea Party Member/Oct. 21: "They raised and manipulated the number of people in their 20s and 30s, right? It wasn't just a correction."]

[Kang Hye-kyung: "Yes, that's correct."]

A public opinion polling company with a pro-democratic inclination released a poll five days before the Busan Geumjeong District Mayor by-election, stating that 'the Democratic Party candidate is leading by 3 percentage points.'

However, the election results showed an overwhelming 22 percentage point victory for the ruling party candidate, leading the ruling party to raise allegations of poll manipulation.

[Joo Jin-woo/People Power Party Member/Prosecutor General/Oct. 21: "I believe it is necessary to thoroughly investigate the facts. They said the Democratic Party would win by 3.2%, but in reality, the People Power Party won by 22%."]

[Shim Woo-jung/Prosecutor General: "We will ensure that all cases are investigated in a balanced manner."]

A man who ran as a preliminary candidate in the local elections two years ago revealed to KBS reporters that he received an offer from an election broker to 'boost support rates in mobile phone polls.'

[Lee ○○/2022 Local Election Preliminary Candidate/Voice Altered: "Whether you live in Busan or Jeju, that person is likely to be provided with a safe number for the ○○ district. They proposed that to me. In return, they asked for personnel authority...."]

As such controversies continue, there have been proposals to permanently ban polling companies that violate the Public Official Election Act or the Political Funds Act, and to prohibit the publication of polls with a response rate of less than 15%.

However, fundamentally, there are calls for political reform and self-awareness among politicians to take precedence.

[Cho Jin-man/Professor of Political Science and Diplomacy at Deokseong University: "(Politicians) need to be free from the temptation to distort or manipulate election polls to gain political advantage, and they also need to make efforts to self-restrain from such actions."]

There are also voices suggesting that, at this opportunity, the process of selecting candidates within parties should exclude the reflection of public opinion polls to avoid creating a controversial environment.

This is KBS News, Kim Young-eun.