Acting Prosecutor General Goo Jahyun: "Strict Response to Fake News and Election Crimes"... All-Out Investigation Efforts for June 3 Local Elections

Supreme Prosecutors’ Office Holds National Meeting of Election Task Force Heads
600-Member “Election Investigation Task Force” to Be Intensively Deployed
“Cases to Be Handled Fairly Regardless of Status of Those Involved”

Goo Jahyun, Acting Prosecutor General (Deputy Prosecutor General of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office), has called for the prosecution to make an all-out effort to respond to election offenses ahead of the upcoming June 3 local elections.

Gu Ja-hyun, Acting Prosecutor General, is announcing a joint police-prosecutor statement to strictly respond to fake news including AI misuse at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul on February 26, 2026. Photo by Jo Yongjun

On April 13, the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office announced that it had held a “National Meeting of Prosecutors in Charge of Election Cases” with the participation of 71 officials, including the heads of election task forces at 60 district prosecutors' offices and branches nationwide, to discuss response measures for election offenses related to the 9th nationwide simultaneous local elections.

At the meeting, Acting Prosecutor General Goo emphasized the importance of this local election for the country’s balanced and democratic development, and urged all prosecutorial resources to be focused on tackling related election crimes. He said, “We will mobilize all available means to respond strictly to serious election offenses, such as black propaganda crimes like fake news exploiting artificial intelligence (AI) technology, and vote-buying cases.” He further instructed, “From the initiation and conduct of investigations to the decision and maintenance of prosecutions, all cases must be handled strictly in accordance with the law and principles, without any consideration of the status of those involved, maintaining a fair and impartial stance throughout the process.”

The meeting continued under the chairmanship of the Public Investigation Division Chief of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, focusing on black propaganda and vote-buying, which account for the largest share of election offenses. Two division heads gave direct presentations on these topics. Participants examined key legal issues, including the application of the offense of disseminating false information in violation of the labeling requirement for deepfake videos, and differences in the legal requirements for acts of bribery depending on the actor. They also shared specific court case precedents.

Based on the outcomes of the meeting, the prosecution plans to concentrate its investigative capacity, centering on an “Election Investigation Task Force” of about 600 members, to address serious election crimes such as black propaganda, vote-buying, public officials’ interference in elections, and election-related violence. For major cases, the division head will be designated as the lead prosecutor, and the current “Standards for Handling Election Cases” will be applied even more strictly.

A prosecution official stated, “Given the unique nature of election cases—where an election victory can be invalidated if a sentence of a fine of 1 million won or more is confirmed—we will actively identify sentencing factors for offenders whose crimes are particularly egregious.” The official added, “To ensure swift and thorough handling of election cases, which are subject to a short statute of limitations, we will work closely with the National Election Commission, the police, and other relevant agencies to ensure everything proceeds smoothly.”

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