The Woori Welfare Citizens' Alliance on Monday called for sweeping reform of the Daegu Metropolitan Election Commission after a video emerged showing a staff member practicing golf swings inside the agency's office building.
In a statement released that day, the civic group said Daegu residents had already suffered "the devastating experience of having their suffrage — the foundation of democracy — undermined" by an unprecedented ballot shortage. It added that public outrage had deepened after footage circulated showing a Jung-gu election commission employee calmly swinging a golf club inside the building.
The group said media reports had revealed the employee was practicing golf even as citizens gathered outside the building on a weekday evening to protest the commission's mismanagement — contradicting the commission's explanation that the incident occurred during a lunch break.
The group added that the employee had filed for overtime pay while swinging a golf club inside the office at taxpayers' expense, calling the episode "evidence of the Daegu election commission's wholesale breakdown in discipline, moral numbness and arrogance toward citizens."
"The Daegu election commission must not offer more excuses for its string of administrative failures — it must issue an immediate, formal public apology and hold all responsible officials strictly accountable," a Woori Welfare Citizens' Alliance official said. "The commission must present a comprehensive overhaul plan that dismantles and rebuilds the entire organization, not another patchwork fix."
The controversy began after a video showing a male employee gripping a golf club and practicing his swing inside the Jung-gu election commission office was posted on social media.
Regarding the incident, a Daegu election commission official said the agency was investigating the exact date, whether it occurred during working hours and whether the employee had filed for overtime. The official added that the staff member would be referred to a disciplinary committee.
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