Jeonnam Police Strictly Crack Down on Election Offenses in the 21st National Assembly Election

Operation of Election Situation Rooms from the 13th at 22 Police Stations in Jeonnam, Establishing a 24-Hour Election Crime Monitoring System

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Chunsu] The Jeonnam Provincial Police Agency announced on the 13th that to ensure the ‘21st National Assembly Election’ held on April 15 is conducted cleanly and fairly, it will simultaneously open ‘Election Crime Investigation Situation Rooms’ at 22 police stations in Jeonnam and operate a 24-hour election crime crackdown system.

With the 21st National Assembly Election just over 60 days away, it is expected that competition among candidates will intensify, and strict measures will be taken against various illegal election activities that may occur during the process.

In this regard, from the 13th until April 29 (77 days), the Jeonnam Provincial Police Agency and all 22 police stations in Jeonnam will operate ‘Election Crime Investigation Situation Rooms’ to maintain a 24-hour immediate crackdown posture.

Additionally, the ‘Election Crime Investigation Task Force,’ which has been organized and operated at each police station since December 16, 2019, will be reinforced to strengthen intelligence gathering on various election-related illegal activities and conduct strict and fair crackdowns.

The Jeonnam police reported that so far, they have cracked down on a total of 11 election-related illegal cases involving 14 people, of whom 2 with recognized criminal charges have been prosecuted and sent to the prosecution, and 9 are under investigation or inquiry.

By type of crime, there are ▲3 for false election statements ▲4 for money-related election crimes ▲1 for early election campaigning ▲2 for public official election interference ▲2 for distribution of printed materials ▲2 for others.

Going forward, for the ‘five major election crimes’ that seriously undermine election fairness ? ① money-related election crimes, ② false election statements, ③ illegal publicity, ④ illegal organization mobilization, and ⑤ election violence ? a ‘zero tolerance principle’ will be applied, and strict punishment will be enforced regardless of party or status.

A Jeonnam Police Agency official emphasized, “To prevent unnecessary misunderstandings such as suspicions of police election interference or biased investigations, we will maintain a strictly neutral stance throughout the entire investigation process and thoroughly comply with legal procedures.”

He added, “To conduct elections fairly and cleanly, not only police efforts but also active reporting and tips from the public are important. If you become aware of any illegal election activities, please actively report them to 112 or the nearest police station.”

Meanwhile, according to regulations on rewards for those who contribute to arresting criminals and the Public Official Election Management Rules, a reward of up to 500 million won will be paid to those who report or tip off election crimes, and the identity of whistleblowers will be strictly protected to prevent exposure of personal information.

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