Police Chief: "Election Campaign-Style Gatherings... Thorough Investigation if Illegal Aspects Found"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] The police announced that they will thoroughly investigate any gatherings conducted in the form of election campaigns if there is a possibility of illegality.

On the 7th, Police Commissioner Kim Chang-ryong said at a press conference, "Since the March 1st rally reported by Pastor Jeon Gwang-hoon of Sarang Jeil Church, we have been in close discussions with the Election Commission and Seoul City," adding, "We will respect the Election Commission's position and take comprehensive measures if any illegal situations are found." Earlier, the People’s Revolutionary Party, led by Pastor Jeon, held a large-scale prayer meeting around Gwanghwamun, Seoul, on the 5th. Similar to the prayer meeting on the 1st, criticism arose that they exploited the quarantine guidelines, which do not impose attendance limits on election campaigns, calling it a 'loophole.' Commissioner Kim said, "The Election Commission also monitored the site during the prayer meeting on the 5th," and reiterated, "The Election Commission primarily judges whether there is a violation of election laws, and we take a stance to make a final conclusion by comprehensively reviewing various data we have collected ourselves."

Regarding concerns about security gaps amid the spread of the Omicron variant, Commissioner Kim emphasized, "Although the police are likely to come into contact with people at high risk of infection, we strictly adhere to quarantine rules and prioritize preventing group infections." According to the police, 9.2% of all police officers have tested positive for COVID-19. Commissioner Kim added, "There have been some cases where a significant portion of a team at certain police substations and precincts were infected, but overall, functions such as 112 emergency response, criminal investigations, and traffic enforcement have not been impaired," and said, "We will continue to focus on ensuring continuity of operations."

Commissioner Kim also revealed that they are continuously promoting a plan to directly apply to the court for 'Provisional Measure No. 4,' which allows detaining perpetrators of stalking crimes, without going through the prosecution. He said, "Although a clear agreement has not yet been reached with the Ministry of Justice and others, it is absolutely necessary to approach this from the perspective of protecting the public safely in urgent and swift situations," adding, "This is not about 'bypassing the prosecution'."

Regarding the nationwide courier union's occupation of CJ Logistics, he said, "The occupation protest began on the 10th of last month, and we immediately started an investigation before filing charges. The company filed complaints against 63 people in four rounds, and 52 of them have been summoned." Commissioner Kim also stated that in relation to investigations into real estate speculation allegations, 1,070 cases (6,052 people) have been investigated, and about 4,200 people have been referred to prosecution. He added that they are also reviewing additional speculative transactions recently requested for investigation by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

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