From Deepfakes to Assault: Police Crack Down on 4,191 Election Offenders

Black Propaganda and Election Violence Persist, Including Fake News

All Cases to Be Concluded Before Statute of Limitations

Swift Referral for Prosecution of Indictable Cases in Cooperation with Prosecutors

The police cracked down on 4,191 offenders during the 9th nationwide local elections. By crime type, black propaganda—including the spread of false and fake news—was the most common, and there were also several cases involving detention for acts of violence.

The National Investigation Headquarters of the National Police Agency announced on June 4 that, as a result of their crackdown on election crimes during this local election, they had apprehended 4,191 individuals by the main election day. Of these, 265 have been referred for prosecution, while investigations into 3,394 individuals are still ongoing. Eight people have been detained, with four of them already referred for prosecution and the other four still under investigation. The remaining 532 cases have been closed without referral or without charges.

Seoul Seodaemun-gu Police Agency. Photo by Hyunmin Kim

By type of crime, black propaganda, including the distribution of false or fake news, accounted for the largest number at 1,365 people (32.5%). Divided by method, offline black propaganda involved 832 people, while online black propaganda—including via social networking services (SNS)—involved 533 people. Notably, 51 individuals (in 32 cases) were apprehended for electioneering using fake videos (deepfakes). The deepfake cases included 16 involving video manipulation, 15 involving image manipulation, and 1 involving voice manipulation.

Violent acts also persisted. The police explained that, as a result of their strict response to election-related violence to protect candidates and their campaigns, they apprehended 210 individuals for violent acts. Of these, six were detained due to the seriousness of their charges.

Of the eight individuals detained for election crimes, most were involved in violent incidents. For example, in April, a suspect who repeatedly assaulted a city council candidate in front of a bus stop in Seongdong-gu, Seoul, was detained, and in Busan, a person was taken into custody after threatening a victim with a baseball bat while damaging an election banner. On May 29 in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, a suspect who struck an election staff member in the head was also issued a detention warrant.

By regional police agency, Gyeonggi Nambu Police Agency recorded the highest number with 663 individuals (15.8%). This was followed by Jeonnam Police Agency with 550 (13.1%), Seoul Police Agency with 490 (11.6%), Gyeongbuk Police Agency with 362 (8.6%), and Gyeongnam Police Agency with 292 (6.9%).

Starting today, the police will implement a four-month intensive investigation period for election-related incidents. Their policy is to thoroughly investigate all election cases, regardless of the election outcome. In particular, they plan to gradually strengthen oversight and management by: ▲ focusing investigative resources through the selection of major cases and additional personnel; ▲ conducting on-site inspections led by the National Police Agency and regional police agencies; and ▲ providing legal reviews by crime type. The statute of limitations for cases related to this election is December 3, 2026. With the planned abolition of prosecutors' offices in October, the police now hold the primary investigative authority over all election offenders.

A police official stated, "We will close all cases before the statute of limitations expires. For cases that require indictment, we will cooperate closely with the prosecution in accordance with Article 7 of the Investigation Rules, taking into account the time necessary for filing charges."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.