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There are about 130,000 campaign banners hanging on the street ahead of the local elections.

Banners can be hung on a candidate's election office building, plus up to two banners per candidate per district.

However, as candidates compete for a spot that is even slightly visible to the voters, building windows are sometimes obscured or the view of pedestrians and drivers is obscured.



Reporters Deok-gi Yu and Jeong-min Nam will tell you whether citizens must continue to endure this inconvenience every election.



<Reporter Yoo Deok-gi>



Large banners of candidates for local elections were hung on the front and back walls of the 4th and 5th floors of the building.



Goshiwon is located on these two floors.



The banner was installed earlier this month at the candidate's office on the 3rd floor.



The problem is that all the windows in the front and rear 21 rooms of the gosiwon and the windows in the stairwell are covered with banners, adversely affecting the light and ventilation of the gosiwon.



[Gosiwon operator: For a week (new banner), there was a smell and not a single wind came in.

The room in red (on the banner in front of the window) is now red.

all.

That black room is dark.

Totally.]



Gosiwon residents feel abnormal in their health.



[Occupant: I have been living here for over a year.

I'm sure there's not enough ventilation because of that banner.

I have some trouble breathing when sleeping...

.]



The Gosiwon side asked the candidate to make a hole in the banner in front of the window or to hang the banner down, but all they did was cut a L-shaped sheath in front of the window.



[Gosiwon Operator: Go down to your office and say, 'Up to the 4th floor is covered anyway, then only the 5th floor is open.

Then it doesn't make any sense.



'



There are no clear regulations regarding the size of the banner or the lighting and ventilation standards of the building due to the banner, only to allow banners to be hung in the building where the election office is located.



[Regional Election Commission: Please discuss with the candidate.

It's not something we can adjust.]



The candidate side decided to install a banner on the 4th and 5th floors through prior consultation with the building owner, and the Gosiwon is demanding compensation for damage, but it is a situation that cannot be answered under the election law. said.



(Video coverage: Oh Young-chun, video editing: Kim Jun-hee, CG: Kim Jong-un)



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<Reporter Nam Jeong-min>



Colorful election banners hung up on crowded streets without fail.



However, there are places where you have to bow your head when you are running too low, such as covering crosswalk traffic lights, surrounding road signs, or running too low.



[Park Gyeong-ja / Gyesan-dong, Incheon: I think it looks bad.

I'd like to make some corrections.]



[Seungnam Roh / Gimhae-si, Gyeongnam: In the case of banners hanging like this in a low place, it seems to cause inconvenience to passage.]



Local elections, which have more candidates than the presidential or general elections, have a lot more banners, so complaints are rushing.



The average number of complaints related to banners received from Seoul this year is 300, but over the past 20 days since this month, when the local election campaign began in earnest, there have already been over 600.



Most of the complaints are 'Please move the banner' and 'It is uncomfortable because of the banner'. The material and size of banners are stipulated under the Election Act, but the method of hanging the banners is not clearly stated.



There are no rules regarding visibility and pedestrian safety, only restricting other candidates from obscuring other candidates' banners, traffic lights, or safety signs, or from being hung across the road.



Even if complaints are received, the ward office or the National Election Commission does not have the authority to remove it, so it is only notifying the candidate of corrective action.



There are growing calls to improve this banner campaign.



The idea is to create designated bulletin boards or to have at least some rules for visibility and traffic safety.



[Choi Seong-ho / President of the Korean Society of Public Design: It's just a form of putting everything together, but it's a safety hazard.

[



A serious discussion between the politicians and civil society is needed for an election campaign that can inform candidates without compromising the aesthetics and safety of the city.



(Video coverage: Jeong Kyung-moon, video editing: Yoon Tae-ho, VJ: Kim Hyung-jin)