First of all, we would like to express our deepest gratitude for the pertinent measures that the Organizing Committee have adopted in response to volumes of complaints for the problematic ballot during Seoul International Drama Awards (SIDA) voting process. I’m writing this letter on behalf of tens of thousands of overseas fans of Korea drama to seek a further reliable resolution. The crucial issue is raised because it is not a simple voting error or system security flaw that could be easily compromised, rather, it begs the question whether the common ground of impartiality, objectivity and public accountability is valued enough in Korea media ethics.
As evidence shows and confirmed by SIDA, unusual vote change was spotted at various time periods. Numerous voters witnessed candidate Park Yoo chun’s votes lost or subtracted, and Jang Keun Suk’s votes skyrocket within seconds. Such unusual events lead to recurring complaints on Korea.com thereafter.
We do appreciate the rightful attitude and prompt reply by SIDA Organizing Committee and wish problems will be fixed soon. Moreover, facts should be revealed to show whether any of the provided information crystallizes into something significant, and responsibility cannot be diverted by vogue language, because the SIDA are designed to increase both popularity and influence of Korea drama, and ensure audiences’ trust in their accuracy.
We therefore, sincerely request the Organizing Committee to provide a thorough explanation regarding following issues:
I. To publish the ballot after clearing out the invalid votes.
We understand that SIDA have concerns over internal database protection. However, the ballot result is bind to be published online even if no fraud conduct occurs, in the event that unregistered country codes/IPs were explicitly diagnosed and confirmed by SIDA announcement, the justified final tally is more than necessary to be disclosed in the public eye to ensure the credibility and truthfulness of the Awards. Every single voter has the legitimate right to require the justified ballot published, and it is the SIDA’s liability to disclose the exact number of invalid votes. The reasonableness of this request is further supported by evidence listed in the Appendix of this letter, and the fact that more than 13,000 vote gap was filled within 10 hours during early morning on 13 August 2011 in the voting category of “Best Theme Song” and likewise, more than 20,000 vote gap within 8 hours on 14 August 2011 in the category of “Best Actor”. The disclosure of exact amount of invalid votes should include all voting categories covering: best actor, best drama series, best theme song and best actress, especially the first three categories in which the unusual vote surge was detected.
II. To further investigate the screen errors and the issue whether actual votes were made to the intended candidate(s).
The reason being that security vulnerability was reportedly proved possible through deliberate voting fraud changing the result by inserting hidden computer code that would add, subtract, or change votes. If it is mere screen error, why the misleading votes were removed from other candidate(s) to one specific candidate? The obviousness here is so suspicious that cannot be conflated or ignored. Reliance on the computer error and software malfunction for casting and recording of votes cannot account for the sudden rebound of vote for single person. We are keen to stress that there is moral outrage of some human being, instead of machine, that serve as the engine of lawlessness.
III. To adopt effective means to prevent future tampering or fraud.
To a lesser extent, the future system should introduce equipment or method such as requiring verification code input in/after the process of voting, etc.
As the major gateway of Korea culture and entertainment portal, SIDA targeted both domestic and overseas audiences. Please be assured that every media has only its credibility and reputation to rely on. It is such a shame that injustice has brought repeated humiliation to the special event, thus failure to properly deal with the errors and complaints can have far-reaching effects because SIDA connect themselves with the values, attitudes, or experiences of the mass audience. And the audience’s perception decides whether SIDA is reliable and qualified to speak on a given topic.
As Korea drama fans, we are not merely touched by some cute actors’ nice dance or beautiful songs, but increasingly influenced and illuminated by the glamour of tradition and culture of Korean. There is no denying the fact that, drama, music, or any form of art, and the transmission of the art, is a language beyond any cultural barrier, and can reach the common understanding of human nature. This is how cultural communication works more powerfully than hard weapon. A highlighted drama series can shed a ray of hope on the hearts of so many people, not to mention the impact of the icons representing typical Korean image. The popularity of Korea Drama in the last few years already proves the widespread recognition of Korea cultural expansion all over the world. This is why we do not want to see the credibility of the SIDA jeopardised by false operation of minority’s conduct. This is why public announcement without productive or effective action can be disastrous for SIDA---- if, due to this accident, audience and fans are suspicious that the systems are just as prone to malfunction and fraud is reluctantly resolved, the Organizing Committee will have to spend years rebuilding the public’s confidence.
The scalability of the unusual vote change is shocking, which is why this issue requires SIDA’s serious attention. Without appropriate explanation, the complaints will be consequential to trigger further confidence unrest and taint the Awards purpose. SIDA should not bear false sense of entitlement, and should stand as a laudable media leader to maintain a consistent implementation of ethical standards, which influence your position and interaction with the public and within the industry. Everybody is watching. Please ensure that voters and Korea drama fans can depend on the safe and reliable medium and organiser. We are looking forward to your soonest reply.
SIDA Overseas Fans
Appendix: (Further evidence)
The core problem regarding how the ballot was altered or manipulated can be indicated by screenshot evidence and claim chart, to name just a few:
I. Suspicious dramatic vote surge and fluctuation for candidate Jang Keun Suk (JKS) spotted. The defective voting can be exemplified by one claim chart.
(Source: http://tieba.baidu.com/p/1178412559)
II. The discrepancy displayed in the following screenshot may well exemplify the incredibility of JKS’ vote. As every voter understands, to vote for any intended candidate, one must first click “like” on Facebook webpage, and then vote for the intended candidate. Considering the fact that many voters were voting for multiple candidates at the same time period, the difference of the “like” count must be more, or if not, at least equal to the vote gap of one individual candidate’s. The highlighted discrepancy illustrates that ballots were resulted from either computer error or human fraud. This is merely one among numerous evidence discovered. （source: http://tieba.baidu.com/p/1175478449?pn=15）
I. Suspicious dramatic vote surge and fluctuation for candidate Jang Keun Suk (JKS) spotted. The defective voting can be exemplified by one claim chart. (Source: http://tieba.baidu.com/p/1178412559)
<img src="http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/805/72177565.jpg/">
II. Many voters were voting for multiple candidates at the same time period, the difference of the “like” count must be more, or if not, at least equal to the vote gap of one individual candidate’s. The highlighted discrepancy illustrates that ballots were resulted from either computer error or human fraud. This is merely one among numerous evidence discovered.
<img src=" http://imageshack.us/f/695/21668477.jpg/">
(Source: http://tieba.baidu.com/p/1178412559)
<img src="http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/805/72177565.jpg/">
II. Many voters were voting for multiple candidates at the same time period, the difference of the “like” count must be more, or if not, at least equal to the vote gap of one individual candidate’s. The highlighted discrepancy illustrates that ballots were resulted from either computer error or human fraud. This is merely one among numerous evidence discovered.
<img src=" http://imageshack.us/f/695/21668477.jpg/">
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