Jeon Hae-cheol: "Strict Crackdown on Illegal and Unlawful Election Campaigning... Confirmed Cases and Quarantined Individuals Also Have Voting Rights"

Confirmed Cases and Quarantined Individuals Vote from 6 PM to 7:30 PM
Focused Crackdown on Three Major Election Crimes Including Bribery and False Information Dissemination
Strengthened Election Neutrality and Inspection Activities for Public Officials During Election Period

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] As the campaign for the 20th presidential election begins, the government announced that it will thoroughly crack down on all kinds of illegal and illicit election activities and focus all efforts on ensuring the neutrality of public officials in elections and establishing public service discipline.

On the 15th, Jeon Hae-cheol, Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, jointly announced this public statement with Park Beom-gye, Minister of Justice, and Kwon Deok-cheol, Minister of Health and Welfare, at the Government Seoul Office. This statement reflects the determination to create a safe voting environment where citizens can vote with peace of mind to protect their precious voting rights amid the severe situation of a rapid increase in COVID-19 cases, to practice fair elections and establish public service discipline, and to strictly enforce laws against various election crimes.

Minister Jeon emphasized that even COVID-19 confirmed patients will be guaranteed the right to vote by extending the operating hours of polling stations. Confirmed patients and those in quarantine can vote on the election day, the 9th, from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM. The Ministry of the Interior and Safety plans to closely cooperate with the Central Election Commission to prepare and implement quarantine measures at polling and counting stations and create an environment where citizens can vote with confidence.

He explained, "We will conduct thorough disinfection and quarantine at polling and counting stations during the election, and voters with abnormal symptoms on election day will be able to participate in voting at specially prepared temporary polling stations," adding, "On election day, polling stations will operate from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM for COVID-19 confirmed patients and those in quarantine to ensure safety while maximizing the protection of the precious rights of the people."

In particular, regarding illegal and illicit election campaigns, the government declared that all government-wide resources, including prosecutors and police, will be fully mobilized to thoroughly crack down and punish offenders. The Ministry of the Interior and Safety plans to focus on cracking down on the three major election crimes: bribery, spreading false information, and others. Furthermore, to ensure all public officials practice election neutrality and establish public service discipline, inspection activities will be strengthened during the election period, and strict accountability will be enforced if any violations occur.

Previously, under the Public Official Election Act, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety produced and distributed regulations, cases, and manuals that public officials must follow to local governments and provided education. It has continuously emphasized the obligation of local government officials to maintain election neutrality through various meetings such as the Central and Local Policy Council. Since December last year, it has formed a ‘Joint Inspection Team’ with local governments to conduct inspections and operates an ‘Anonymous Reporting Channel for Public Official Election Corruption’ on its website.

Minister Jeon urged, "To prevent the spread of COVID-19 at polling stations, we ask citizens to actively comply with quarantine rules inside polling stations, such as wearing masks, checking body temperature before entry, and maintaining distance from the person in front," and added, "If voting on election day is difficult, please use early voting held on March 4th and 5th."

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