Gwangju City Election Commission Strengthens Prevention and Crackdown on Election Law Violations

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] The Gwangju Metropolitan City Election Commission announced on the 25th that it will strengthen activities to prevent and crack down on violations of election laws ahead of the Seollal holiday.

This measure was taken based on the judgment that illegal activities such as providing money or goods to voters under the pretext of holiday greetings could occur.

The Election Commission is providing advance guidance on examples of violations to political parties, members of the National Assembly, local government heads, local council members, and prospective candidates, as the presidential election and nationwide simultaneous local elections are scheduled for March and June next year.

This year, the focus will be on election law guidance and preventive activities, but strong measures such as prosecution will be taken against serious violations.

Examples of permissible activities during this Seollal holiday include ▲posting ceremonial holiday greeting banners in the name of political parties or local governments up to 180 days before the election day ▲sending ceremonial greeting messages via text ▲prospective candidates personally handing out business cards (within the size of 9cm length and 5cm width) containing promotional information from 180 days before the election day (240 days for the presidential election) ▲persons allowed to campaign verbally greeting attendees at various events when it is not election day.

However, ▲prospective candidates providing gifts to voters ▲posting banners or sending greeting cards containing campaign content under the guise of holiday greetings ▲holding campaign meetings for verbal campaigning ▲prospective candidates handing out business cards or soliciting support inside buses or terminal ticket gates are prohibited.

Article 261 of the Public Official Election Act stipulates that those who receive money or food may be fined up to 50 times within a maximum of 30 million won.

However, those who voluntarily report may receive a reduction in fines depending on the case. The Election Commission also offers rewards of up to 500 million won for those who report violations.

A Gwangju Election Commission official said, “We plan to maintain a system for reporting and receiving election law violations during the Seollal holiday period,” and added, “If you discover any violations, please report them by calling 1390 from anywhere in the country.”