Jeju governor faces first recall vote

JEJU, South Korea, July 15 (Yonhap) -- Jeju Province Gov. Kim Tae-hwan has become the nation's first head of a wide-area self-governing body to face a recall vote, as more than 50,000 residents on the southern island signed a petition calling for the unprecedented vote, the local election commission said Wednesday.

Under the law initiated by the government of then President Roh Moo-hyun in 2007,
local residents are allowed to demand a recall vote for any metropolitan city or
province head if the move is supported by more than 15 percent of eligible
voters.
Supporters of the recall vote accused Kim of unilaterally signing an MOU on the
construction of a naval base on the southern coast of the scenic volcanic island
in April, disregarding residents' opposition.
Kim, who has no partisan affiliation, was elected Jeju governor in a local
election in 2006.
"The election commission has decided to hold a recall vote for Gov. Kim as a
total of 51,044 eligible voters signed the relevant recall petition," said a
commission official, noting that the minimum legal requirement for such a move is
41,649 signatures.
Voting is scheduled to take place in late August or early September, the
commission official said.
Under current law, Kim will be ousted if more than a third of eligible voters
cast ballots and more than half of the valid votes support the recall.