Gyeongnam Police Complete Investigation of 22nd General Election Offenses ... 93 Referred to Prosecution, 1 Arrested

The Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency announced on the 14th that it had completed its investigation into election law violations related to the 22nd National Assembly election, for which the statute of limitations expired on the 10th, and referred over 90 individuals to the prosecution.

The provincial police investigated a total of 256 people in 135 cases related to the April 10 general election, and ultimately referred 93 individuals in 61 cases to the prosecution.

Among them, Mr. A was arrested for violating third-party donation regulations after providing food worth 1.56 million won to 25 constituents at a restaurant for a prospective candidate.

Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency. Photo by Lee Seryeong

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According to the provincial police, among the types of illegal activities, the spread of false information accounted for the largest portion, with 120 individuals, representing 46.9% of the total.

This was followed by: ▲bribery, 36 individuals ▲damage to banners and posters, 17 individuals ▲pre-election campaigning, 9 individuals ▲public officials' involvement in elections, 7 individuals ▲illegal mobilization of organizations, 6 individuals.

Status of Election Crime Crackdown for the 22nd General Election in Gyeongnam Province. [Data provided by Gyeongnam Police Agency]

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Previously, the provincial police investigated 68 cases of complaints and accusations, 47 cases requested by the National Election Commission, and 13 reports related to the 22nd general election.

As a result of the investigation, the number of cases cracked down on increased by 62 compared to the 21st general election in 2020, and the number of individuals apprehended rose by 150.

Among these, the five major election crimes?bribery, spreading false information, public officials' involvement in elections, election violence, and illegal mobilization of organizations?showed an upward trend except for election violence.

These five major election crimes accounted for 67.6% of all election crimes related to this general election, an increase of 6.3% compared to the previous general election, with the number of individuals caught for spreading false information rising by 97, marking the largest increase.

An official from the provincial police stated, "We will continue to thoroughly investigate in accordance with the law and principles to ensure a clean and fair election culture is established."

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