60 Days Until the General Election... Police Begin Full-Scale Investigation of 'Election Offenders'

National Police Agency 'Election Crime Investigation Situation Room' Plaque Ceremony
137 Cases and 210 Individuals Detected for Illegal Election Activities

On the morning of the 13th, in front of the Election Crime Investigation Situation Room for the 21st National Assembly election at the Seoul Seodaemun-gu Police Agency, Min Gap-ryong, Commissioner of the National Police Agency, and other attendees are holding a plaque ceremony. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] The police have launched a full-scale investigation into election-related crimes just over two months ahead of the 21st general election.

On the morning of the 13th, the National Police Agency held a plaque unveiling ceremony for the "Election Crime Investigation Situation Room" at the police headquarters in Migeun-dong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul. The Election Crime Investigation Situation Room was simultaneously opened at 274 police stations, including the National Police Agency, local police agencies, and police stations. Additionally, the "Election Crime Investigation Task Force," which has been organized and operated at all police stations since December last year, was reinforced to strengthen intelligence gathering and crackdowns on election-related criminal activities.

As of that day, the police have detected 137 cases of election-related illegal activities nationwide and apprehended 210 individuals. Among them, five people have been booked and sent to the prosecution with a recommendation for indictment, and investigations are ongoing for 146 others. By type, "false election statements" accounted for the largest number with 62 people, followed by vote-buying with 40, early election campaigning with 27, and election interference by public officials and distribution of printed materials with 10 each. The police have defined ▲vote-buying ▲false election statements ▲illegal propaganda ▲illegal mobilization of groups ▲election violence as the "five major election crimes" and plan to apply a zero-tolerance policy, strictly punishing offenders regardless of their party affiliation or rank.

National Police Chief Min Gap-ryong is attending the '21st National Assembly Election, Election Offense Crackdown Measures Meeting' held at the National Police Agency in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul on the 13th. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

The police also emphasized that the identities of those reporting election crimes will be protected to prevent exposure of personal information. Whistleblowers reporting election crimes may receive rewards of up to 500 million won.

An official from the National Police Agency stated, "To conduct fair and clean elections, not only the efforts of the police but also active reporting and tips from the public are crucial," and urged, "If you become aware of any illegal election activities, please actively report them to 112 or the nearest police station."

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