Recall vote against Jeju governor declared invalid

JEJU, South Korea, Aug. 26 (Yonhap) -- An unprecedented recall vote initiated by civic activists against the embattled governor of Jeju Province has been invalidated due to exceptionally low voter turnout, local election management officials said Wednesday.

Jeju residents went to the polls Wednesday to determine whether to oust Jeju
Province Gov. Kim Tae-hwan, who has come under fire for his April agreement with
the defense ministry to build a naval base on the southern coast of the scenic
volcanic island.
The recall vote, the first in the nation to be held against the head of a
wide-area self-governing body, such as province or metropolitan city, drew strong
nationwide attention.
But the recall vote against Kim was declared invalid, as voter turnout fell far
short of the minimum legal requirement, according to election management
officials here.
Officials noted only 11 percent of eligible voters took part in the balloting
that took place from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. at 226 polling stations across the
province. Under current law, the governor can be ousted if more than a third of
eligible voters cast ballots and more than half of the valid votes support the
recall.
With the recall vote nullified, Kim, suspended from his office ahead of the
recall vote, was immediately reinstated to the governorship, officials said.
Under the law initiated by the government of then President Roh Moo-hyun in 2007,
local residents are allowed 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.
Supporters of the recall vote, mostly environmental activists, accused Kim of
unilaterally signing an MOU on the construction of the Jeju naval base.
ycm@yna.co.kr
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