Dramatic Surge in 'Safe Numbers' Every Election in 8 Jeonbuk Municipalities

As suspicions of opinion poll manipulation simultaneously arose in 8 municipalities across the Jeonbuk region, the police formed a dedicated team to launch an investigation. This was triggered by identifying abnormal signs, such as an unusual surge in safe numbers and response rates, in 8 municipalities including Jinan, Imsil, Sunchang, Jangsu, Gochang, Buan, Muju, and Gimje. "It's not just Jinan, but in eight municipalities across Jeonbuk, abnormally surging safe numbers or extremely high response rates in opinion polls are rampant." The presenter explained how these abnormal patterns led to the police investigation.

Jinan-gun's 'safe numbers' usually maintained a level of around 7,400, but in September, just before Chuseok, they suddenly increased by 3,000 to a total of 10,000. Three months later, in December, they decreased again by 2,000 to 8,000, only to recover to 10,000 by the end of December. Such drastic fluctuations suggest a competition among candidates to secure safe numbers through election brokers. The presenter explained, "The usual number of safe numbers in Jinan should be around 7,400. Then, before Chuseok, it increased by 3,000 to 10,000, and then three months later in December, it dropped again by 2,000 to 8,000," detailing the fluctuations in Jinan-gun's safe numbers.

In Imsil-gun, the phenomenon of surging safe numbers has recurred since the 2022 local elections. After the introduction of a system to determine candidates through opinion poll primaries, the same pattern of safe numbers increasing from February has been consistently observed. Whenever suspicions were raised, numbers temporarily decreased only to increase again, and last year, before Chuseok, they surged again to 11,000. The presenter noted, "This abnormal increase in safe numbers is not just this time; the same pattern has been observed since the 2022 local elections when a system was introduced to determine candidates through opinion poll primaries," pointing out that this pattern has become entrenched since the primaries' introduction.

With the same pattern of surging 'safe numbers' found in multiple regions such as Jinan, Imsil, and Sunchang, strong suspicions are being raised that election brokers are using burner phones ahead of local elections. This suggests a widespread possibility of manipulation, not just a problem in a specific area. The analysis indicates that intense competition among candidates to influence public opinion, based on survey results, is leading to the acquisition of burner phones. The presenter expressed concern, stating, "This is not just one area; when the same pattern is found in two or more regions like this, it strongly suggests that brokers are running rampant with burner phones ahead of the local elections."

Sunchang-gun also saw its 'safe numbers' jump to 10,000 in February 2022, only to plummet to 6,800 by the end of the local election. Then, last Chuseok, they surged again by 4,000 to around 10,000, indicating significant fluctuations during every election season. Jangsu-gun also maintained around 8,000 'safe numbers' during the local election period, showing a similar pattern to Sunchang-gun. The presenter explained, "Sunchang also jumped to 10,000 in February 2022, then dropped to 6,800 by the end of the local election, and last Chuseok, it surged again by 4,000, reaching 10,000 safe numbers," highlighting the changes in safe numbers in both regions.

In the Jangsu-gun case, the number of safe numbers peaked at 10,000 before the local election and then sharply declined after the election ended. This suggests that the intentional acquisition of safe numbers to influence election results is a recurring practice. The presenter stated, "Before the local election, they also secured the peak of 10,000 safe numbers here," emphasizing the concentration of this phenomenon during specific periods.

During the 8th local elections in 2022, an opinion poll manipulation incident occurred in Jangsu-gun's Democratic Party primary. As a result, 36 people, including the candidate's family and associates, were indicted without detention on charges of manipulating safe numbers. They were found to have changed the billing addresses of 73 mobile phones belonging to constituents from other districts to Jangsu-gun to induce false responses. The presenter stated, "In 2022, there was an incident where a candidate's family and associates were mass-indicted for tampering with safe numbers," recalling the past case in Jangsu-gun.

In the Jangsu-gun opinion poll manipulation case, the fact that successful candidates or candidates were excluded from judicial processing has led to criticism that recurrence prevention has failed. Despite family members or associates being punished, the candidates themselves not being punished sends a wrong signal, increasing the likelihood of similar actions recurring. The presenter noted, "While candidates' family members and associates were subjected to judicial processing, the candidates themselves were excluded from the indictment," pointing out the problem with this practice of 'cutting off the tail.'

Gochang-gun, like other regions, showed a pattern of surging safe numbers before elections. Specifically, before the 2022 local elections, the number of safe numbers jumped to 13,000. There was a clear tendency for safe number data to increase during periods when opinion polls were concentrated, such as Chuseok. The presenter mentioned, "Four years ago, before the 2022 local elections, the number of safe numbers jumped to 13,000," presenting the case of surging safe numbers in Gochang-gun.

In Buan-gun, a pattern of significant fluctuations in safe numbers during every election period was also confirmed. Ahead of Chuseok in September 2025, safe numbers increased to 13,000, and during the 2022 local elections, they surged from 9,000 to 13,000, then to 13,580 in February, repeatedly rising and falling from the usual level of 11,000 during election seasons. The presenter explained, "Buan-gun also went from 9,000 to 13,000 during the 2022 local elections, and then surged to 13,580 in February of the same year," pointing out the fluctuations in Buan-gun's safe numbers.

Muju-gun was a region where elections were held under a two-party system, and intense competition between candidates led to a noticeable increase in safe number figures during every election. The high number of safe numbers relative to the population is presumed to be the result of mobilizing burner phones, suggesting that illegal competition through election brokers reached an extreme. The presenter analyzed, "Muju-gun was a region where elections were held under a two-party system, and it seems to be the result of the burner phone competition between each candidate reaching its peak," mentioning the overheated situation in Muju-gun.

The trend of safe numbers in Gimje-si also showed a surge, recording 14,458, an increase of 3,000 compared to the number of safe numbers in the last opinion poll of 2022. This is interpreted as evidence of candidates colluding with election brokers to secretly secure burner phones. The presenter explained, "Looking at the safe number trend in Gimje-si, it's 14,458, which is an increase of 3,000 compared to the last opinion poll safe number count in 2022," providing specific figures for the change in Gimje-si's safe numbers.

The current primary opinion poll method is being criticized as a structural problem that distorts public will by exploiting the one person, one vote principle, as it has devolved into a competition not for public sentiment among candidates, but for how many burner phones can be secured through election brokers. The presenter stated, "The primary competition has ultimately become a competition for how many burner phones can be secured from election operatives, not a competition for public sentiment," criticizing the fundamental problems of the current system.