Prosecutors Decide Not to Indict Hwang Kyo-ahn and Min Kyung-wook for Spreading 'Early Voting Manipulation' Rumors

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] The prosecution has finally decided not to indict former Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn and former lawmaker Min Kyung-wook, who were accused of spreading false claims about early voting manipulation to hinder voter participation ahead of the last presidential election.

On the 7th, the Criminal Division 6 of the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Lee Joon-dong) announced that after reviewing the case, which the National Election Commission had appealed following the police's decision not to prosecute, they concluded there was no evidence of wrongdoing.

The prosecution reportedly made this decision considering that their claims did not significantly affect the actual voter turnout and that encouraging voters to participate in the main election instead of early voting could not be seen as election interference.

In March of this year, the National Election Commission had filed a complaint with the prosecution, alleging that the two spread false claims about early voting manipulation through newspaper advertisements, speeches at rallies, and YouTube channels, thereby interfering with the election (violating the Public Official Election Act, among other charges).

The case was initially assigned to the Public Investigation Division 2 of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office but was transferred to the police, with the Yeongdeungpo Police Station in Seoul conducting the investigation. The police decided not to prosecute on the 23rd of last month, but the National Election Commission filed an objection, leading the case to be transferred to the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office.

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