Election Commission Refers Seocheon County Village Chief Association to Prosecution for Investigation

County Officials Suspected of Election Act Violation
in Banner Posting Process

The National Election Commission has referred the Seocheon County Village Chiefs Association to the prosecution for investigation on suspicion of posting false information on banners in the Seocheon area ahead of the recent local elections.

The South Chungcheong Provincial Election Commission has requested a prosecution investigation into the Seocheon County Village Chief Association, which is suspected of spreading false information by posting a banner in the Seocheon area ahead of the June 3 local elections. The banner read, "Korea Polytechnic University Seocheon Campus passed the Ministry of Economy and Finance review!! Secured 47.9 billion won in funding!!"

According to The Asia Business Daily’s coverage on July 9, the Seocheon County Election Commission referred the president of the Seocheon County Village Chief Association to the Daejeon District Prosecutors’ Office, Hongseong Branch, on July 7 on charges of violating the Public Official Election Act.

The Election Commission determined that the posting of the banner by the Village Chief Association constituted a violation of Article 86 of the Public Official Election Act (Prohibition of acts by public officials, etc., that influence elections), and accordingly requested an investigation by the prosecution.

Previously, on May 15, Kim Yongbin, the head of the Seocheon Love Citizens’ Association, filed a complaint with the Election Commission, claiming that the content of the banner was false information and that its dissemination constituted a violation of the Public Official Election Act.

Kim insisted, "Not only the organization that posted the banner but also related public officials in Seocheon-eup and Janghang-eup must be thoroughly investigated," adding, "The people behind this must be clearly identified, and strict punishment in accordance with the law must be imposed."

It was revealed that public official B from Seocheon County instructed a subordinate to provide administrative support regarding the posting of the Village Chief Association’s banner, raising suspicions of a violation of the prohibition on public officials' involvement in elections.

In a phone interview with The Asia Business Daily, B stated, "The president of the Village Chief Association, after reading a media report, asked me to create a simple banner phrase, so I had an employee do it."

B further explained, "We sent two versions of the banner phrase to the Election Commission for inquiry, and after receiving confirmation that it was permissible, I explained to the president of the Village Chief Association that administrative agencies cannot intervene in elections. Then, when delivering the banner phrase, I told him to use his own judgment."

Whether public officials were involved in the production and posting of the Village Chief Association’s banner is expected to be the main focus of the judicial investigation.

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