The Korea Broadcasting Association's Joint Prediction Survey Committee (KEP) has officially apologized for errors in the exit poll data from the 9th nationwide local elections, attributing the mistakes to a data omission by Korea Research.
On June 11, KEP released a statement confirming that during the analysis of voter preferences by gender and age in four regions—Seoul, Daegu, Ulsan, and Chungbuk—data predicting early voters was not included. As a result, the analysis of voter preferences in these areas was inaccurately reported, potentially causing confusion among viewers.
The exit polls conducted on June 3 involved three polling organizations: Korea Research, Korea Research Institute, and Ipsos Korea, which divided responsibilities across 16 cities and provinces. To generate accurate exit poll results, both same-day survey data and predictions for early voters must be combined.
According to KEP, the final predictions for elected candidates were unaffected. However, the omission of early voter prediction data in the analysis for the four regions managed by Korea Research led to discrepancies in the reported results.
A KEP official stated, "In regions handled by Korea Research, the early voter prediction data was not included, while it was properly reflected in areas managed by Korea Research Institute and Ipsos Korea. This error was due to the polling agency's oversight, not a deliberate alteration of data by KEP."
The official added, "The three broadcasting companies had no way to verify whether the data received just before the election broadcast was accurate according to the design, but we take our management and oversight responsibilities seriously."
To prevent similar incidents in the future, KEP plans to overhaul its verification system and is considering legal action against Korea Research for breach of contract.
Meanwhile, the local elections held on June 3 saw record-high early voting turnout. The Democratic Party secured victories in 12 out of 17 metropolitan mayoral positions, achieving a majority in the regions contested.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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