[Exclusive] Gunsan City Sends Preliminary Election Candidate Data via Official Email... Controversy Over Election Law Violation

Election Campaign Interference Allegations... Official Says "Only Consultation and Custom with Press Corps Secretary"

Election Commission to "Verify Possibility of Election Law Violation for Government Agency Email Sending"

Local governments are facing controversy for sending press releases about election campaigns of preliminary candidates for the 22nd National Assembly election. In response, the Election Commission is investigating whether this violates election laws.

The Public Relations Office of Gunsan City, Jeonbuk, sent press releases twice on the 29th, once in the morning and once in the afternoon, to registered reporters.

On the 29th, the Public Relations Office of Gunsan City sent emails twice on the same day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon, which raised concerns about potential involvement of public officials in election interference.

The issue is that both press releases contained election campaign materials for preliminary candidates running in the general election scheduled for April 10.

The morning release was about the "Launch Ceremony of the Election Countermeasures Headquarters" for Assemblyman Kim Euigyeom, who is running in the Gunsan City electoral district, while the afternoon release concerned Assemblyman Shin Youngdae’s efforts to "Attract a Nighttime Children's Hospital" in the same electoral district. All materials came from the respective preliminary candidates' election offices.

Article 7 of the Constitution and Articles 9, 58, and 60 of the Public Official Election Act stipulate the political neutrality of local governments and public officials and their obligation to remain neutral during elections. They prohibit exerting undue influence on elections or acts that affect election results.

However, Gunsan City caused controversy by sending materials containing election campaign content for specific preliminary candidates through the official email of the Public Relations Office, and the controversy is growing due to the explanation that this is a customary practice.

A Gunsan City official explained, "We sent the press releases after consulting with the secretary of the registered press corps upon requests from each assemblyman’s office," adding, "This is a customary practice and unrelated to violations of the Public Official Election Act."

Regarding this, a political insider pointed out, "If it is confirmed that Gunsan City and its public officials violated their obligation of election neutrality, it would constitute a serious election crime that damages fair elections, undermines administrative trust, and shakes the foundation of election order," adding, "The use of the term 'customary practice' suggests that this problem has been ongoing for a very long time."

An Election Commission official said, "Sending preliminary election campaign press releases via government agency emails may constitute a legal violation," and added, "We will verify the exact circumstances of the email dispatch and whether any violations occurred."

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