Gyeongnam Provincial Police Detect 292 Election Law Violators in 9th Local Elections ... 39 Referred, 219 Under Investigation

The Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency announced on June 4 that it had detected 292 individuals involved in election law violations related to the 9th nationwide local elections in Gyeongnam Province, of whom 39 have been referred to the prosecution and 219 are currently under investigation.

From February 3, the date when preliminary candidates for the local elections could register, the Gyeongnam Provincial Police organized a special investigation team consisting of 209 officers across 24 police stations in the province to crack down on election crimes.

Photo zone in front of the main building of the Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency.
Photo by Se-ryung Lee

As a result of the crackdown, the most common offense was black propaganda, such as the dissemination of false and fake news, accounting for 94 individuals or 32.2% of the total.

Among these, 43 cases involved online black propaganda, including via social networking services (SNS), while 51 involved offline black propaganda.

Nine individuals were caught using deepfake technology for electioneering, with three cases involving video manipulation and two involving image manipulation.

In addition, 68 were apprehended for bribery, 17 for public officials’ involvement in elections, 17 for distribution of printed materials, 15 for damaging banners or posters, 11 for pre-election campaigning, six for election-related violence, and two for mobilizing illegal organizations.

By type of investigative lead, there were 158 cases initiated by complaints and accusations, 57 by reports and petitions, 47 by accusations or investigation requests from the election commission, and 30 based on intelligence or self-detection.

Status of Election Offenses in Gyeongnam Province by Type Related to the 9th Nationwide Local Elections. [Data provided by Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency]

Starting from today and continuing until October 2, the Gyeongnam Provincial Police will operate a focused investigation period for election-related cases and plans to investigate all such cases, regardless of the outcome of the election.

The agency aims to concentrate its investigative resources by prioritizing significant cases and supplementing manpower, and will conduct on-site inspections led by both the provincial and local police agencies, as well as legal reviews by type of offense, with the goal of concluding all election-related cases before the statute of limitations expires on December 3.

For cases that require prosecution, the plan is to refer them to the prosecution as quickly as possible, taking into account the time needed for indictment.

Additionally, the crackdown on illegal acts such as offering money or valuables as a token of appreciation after election victory, or granting business interests in exchange for election support, will be strengthened.

An official from the Gyeongnam Provincial Police stated, "We will do our utmost to ensure that local governments elected by the voters are established on a clean and sound foundation."

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