Guest post by Eujin Kim

According to the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on May 29, 2020, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Election Commission (NEC), and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety held a video conference with officials from the U.S. Department of State, the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS), and the National Association of State Election Directors (NASED).

South Korean officials discussed election procedures with US officials prior to the 2020 US presidential election. via Korea KR

The participants included:

– Marc Knapper, then Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs;
– Lori Augino, President of NASED;
– Forty-nine state and county election officials affiliated with NASS and NASED;
– Ko Yoon-joo, Director-General for North American Affairs at South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs;
– Kwon Sei-joong, Consul General of the Republic of Korea in the United States; and
– Officials from South Korea’s National Election Commission and Ministry of the Interior and Safety.

** Here is a copy of the press release.

According to the official briefing, the American side specifically requested the meeting because it wished to learn from South Korea’s experience conducting a nationwide election during the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the meeting, South Korean officials provided detailed explanations regarding:

• Early voting procedures;

• Absentee and residential voting systems;

• Voting procedures for quarantined and COVID-positive individuals;

• Election administration under pandemic conditions;

• Public health measures inside polling stations;

• Ballot handling and counting procedures;

• Methods used to process and disinfect ballots cast by infected or quarantined voters; and

• The specific operation of South Korea’s early voting and absentee voting systems.

The official press release further states that Deputy Assistant Secretary Marc Knapper expressed his appreciation for South Korea’s willingness to share its experience and specifically stated that South Korea’s election experience would provide lessons for the United States as it prepared for the 2020 presidential election.

I believe the timing of this meeting is particularly noteworthy.

This government-to-government exchange took place on May 29, 2020—just over five months before the U.S. presidential election of November 3, 2020.

The fact that dozens of American state and county election officials sought and received detailed briefings from South Korean election authorities concerning early voting, absentee voting, and election administration during a pandemic is an important historical fact that appears to have received very little public attention.

Of course, the existence of this meeting by itself does not prove wrongdoing, nor does it establish any direct connection to later controversies surrounding the 2020 U.S. election.

However, I believe these official documents raise legitimate questions worthy of further examination.

Why did American election officials consider South Korea’s election model sufficiently important to study in detail only months before the 2020 presidential election?

To what extent, if any, were the practices discussed during this meeting incorporated into election preparations within various American states?

Were there any additional consultations or exchanges between election officials beyond this publicly disclosed meeting?

The United States has conducted democratic elections for more than two centuries and possesses one of the world’s oldest and most established electoral traditions. For that reason, I find it remarkable that U.S. election officials formally requested detailed guidance from South Korean authorities regarding election procedures and pandemic-era voting practices.

At a minimum, I believe this episode deserves greater public awareness and further historical examination.

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