| Election Management Capacity Building Program |
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| Last updated 2019-04-10 |
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The Association of World Election Bodies (A-WEB) organized the first Election Management Capacity Building Program of 2019 on Elections and Election Management in Korea. Held in Incheon, South Korea from March 27 to April 5, the program gathered 19 electoral officials from 8 countries: Afghanistan, Argentina, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kiribati, Mali, Belarus, Republic of China (Taiwan) and Zambia. Participants learned about the election system in Korea, shared the experiences of their own countries and observed the by-Elections in Mungyeong City during the early voting period.
On March 27, Director General Daeil Kim gave his welcoming remarks during the opening ceremony. In the afternoon, Professor Seonghun Jang from Korean Civic Education Institute for Democracy (KOCEI) gave a lecture on the Overview of the Electoral System in Korea. Program participants showed a great interest in Korean electoral system by asking questions about Korean Electoral register, polling stations, and polling station officers’ duties.
On the next day, Deputy Director Jongik Jeong from Gwangjin-gu Election Commission first gave a presentation on the Early Voting System in Korea and then participants took part in a mock -Early Voting process.
(28 March 2019) Listening to the history of Elections in KOCEI, Suwon, Korea.
In the afternoon, Deputy Director Yosup Yoon from the NEC of Korea introduced the Korean Ballot Counting System with the on-site demonstration of ballot sorting machines. Participants were able to see first-hand the efforts taken to safeguard the secrecy of vote and the right of all voters. Through this, participants were able to experience the Korean electoral system.
After gaining theoretical knowledge about Korean early voting system, on 29 March, the electoral officials had an opportunity to observe the real early voting process for the by-elections for the city council in the City of Mungyeong. Having visited 2 polling stations, they could observe the early voting process in person, ask polling station officers questions of their interest, and filled in the Observer’s Checklist. After the observation, each group shared their thoughts, in particular discussing the differences between Korea's election system and their nations' systems.
During the cultural tour on Saturday, March 30, the participants visited Lotte World Tower, Gyeongbokgung Palace and Namdaemun Market, and got exposed to the Korean history and culture.
(1 Aprli 2019) Deputy Director Seonhee Jo from NEC Korea speaking about the candidate nomination and election campaign processes in Korea.
In the afternoon session, Secretary General Choi Gwan Jae from Bucheon City Election Commission gave a lecture on how to compile voter's registries, as well as the voting and counting systems. Participants compared and contrasted the voter registration method, the voting and counting processes of Korea with their respective countries.
(2 April 2019) Mr. Goran Miskovic from CEC of Bosnia and Herzegovina explaining the electoral system of his country.
April 2 was designated for country report presentations. Participants presented electoral systems in their respective countries. Under the moderation of Director General Misun Ok from the NEC of Korea, trainees shared the current status of their electoral systems and main problems faced on the way towards peaceful, fair and transparent elections.
(3 April 2019) Listening to the history of ICT development, Samsung Innovation Museum, Suwon, Korea.
The next day, April 3, participants had another cultural and educational tour prepared for them. First, they visited the Samsung Innovation Museum, where they could learn about the history, current state and future of the Korean electronic industry. And in the afternoon, by paying a visit to the National Assembly, they learned about the legislative system of Korea.
(3 April 2019) Visit to the National Assembly of Korea.
(4 April 2019) Prof. Seung Joon Baek from KOCEI explaining the election law enforcement in Korea
On April 4, the final day of the program, Professor Seung Joon Baek from KOCEI talked about the types of electoral crimes and the election law enforcement in Korea.
(4 April 2019) Prof. Eun Young Moon from KOCEI introducing the political system in Korea
In the afternoon, Professor Eun Young Moon gave a lecture on the political party and political finance system in Korea and then asked participants to share the current state of political finance systems in their respective countries.
On Friday, April 5, participants had final debriefing session, where they shared their opinions on the Election Observation experience and shared their impressions of the Korean electoral process. One of the participants stated, “The observation experience gave me some food for thought on what we can do in my country to improve the election process”. Others also noted on what they would like to adopt in their countries and shared some recommendations. Overall, everybody admitted that Korean Early-voting system was very efficient and impressive.
(*Click the link below for more program pictures.)
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