Kim Yuncheol, Hapcheon County Governor, Cleared of Public Official Election Act Violation; Police Decline to Refer Case as 'No Violation' Found

Complaint filed over remarks about opposing candidate's camp during the June 3 local elections
Police reviewed recordings and circumstances surrounding remarks... Difficult to substantiate charge of publishing false information

Kim Yuncheol, the county governor of Hapcheon, South Gyeongsang Province, was cleared by police in a case in which he was accused of making false statements about an opposing candidate during the June 3 local elections.

According to the Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency on November 4, its Anti-Corruption and Economic Crime Investigation Unit decided on October 30 not to refer Kim to prosecutors, finding no grounds for the charge of making false statements under the Public Official Election Act.

[Photo provided by the Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency] Police emblem. The Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency decided not to refer Hapcheon County Governor Kim Yuncheol to prosecutors, finding no grounds for the allegations of publishing false information under the Public Official Election Act.

Kim was accused of saying during the June 3 local elections, when he ran as an independent candidate and campaigned, that an aide to Ryu Sun-cheol, the People Power Party's candidate for Hapcheon county governor, had conspired to distribute money and gifts to voters.

Ryu's camp at the time filed a complaint with police, arguing that Kim's remarks amounted to the publication of false information.

Police investigated whether Kim had violated the Public Official Election Act, securing materials including recordings related to the circumstances surrounding his remarks.

After reviewing the relevant materials and the circumstances surrounding Kim's remarks, police concluded that it would be difficult to substantiate the charge that he had published false information.

Police also reportedly reviewed statements and other materials they had obtained regarding the allegation that aides to the opposing candidate had conspired to distribute money and gifts, and concluded that the allegation was untrue.

Accordingly, police decided not to refer the case against Kim to prosecutors.

Meanwhile, Kim ran as an independent candidate in the June 3 local elections and won re-election.

The decision not to refer the case was made at the police investigation stage and is distinct from a prosecutor's decision not to indict or a final acquittal by a court.

Police did not substantiate the charge that Kim had published false information and also concluded that the allegation of a plot by aides to the opposing candidate to distribute money and gifts was untrue.

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