Police Fully Launch Election Offender Crackdown System for Next Year's Presidential and Local Elections

Intensive Crackdown on '5 Major Crimes' Including Bribery and False Information Dissemination

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-ju] With the upcoming 20th presidential election (March 9) and the 8th nationwide local elections (June 1) next year, the police have launched a full-scale crackdown system on election-related crimes.

On the 8th, the National Police Agency announced that starting from the 9th, it will organize and operate "special investigation teams for election crimes" at 258 police stations nationwide. The police plan to crack down on the "five major election crimes," which include ▲bribery ▲spreading false information ▲government officials' involvement in elections ▲election violence ▲illegal mobilization of groups.

The police will apply a zero-tolerance policy toward the five major election crimes, prosecuting offenders regardless of their political party or rank. They will also track and crack down not only on those who commit illegal acts but also on those who plan or order the crimes and the sources of illegal funds.

Additionally, the police have established a "cyber election crime reporting and investigation system" to respond to illegal activities online, such as spreading false information through social networking services (SNS), hacking of the National Election Commission and political party websites, and distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks.

A police official stated, "Since the two major elections will be held consecutively next year, we will maintain strict neutrality throughout all investigative processes to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings such as biased investigations, and thoroughly comply with legal procedures." He emphasized, "We ask for active reporting and tips to ensure fair elections."

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