A Man in His 60s Caught Red-Handed Trying to Steal Election Pamphlets at Community Center

On the 26th, ahead of the April 7 by-election, election posters of the Seoul mayoral candidates were posted on a street in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Song Seung-yoon] A man in his 60s was caught red-handed on charges of theft while attempting to steal election campaign materials for the Seoul mayoral by-election at a community center in Seoul.

According to the police on the 28th, Dongdaemun Police Station has registered and is investigating a man in his 60s, Mr. A, on criminal charges for stealing election campaign materials.

Mr. A was caught on the spot around 10 p.m. the previous day while trying to steal campaign materials in envelopes at the Jang-an 2-dong Community Center in Dongdaemun-gu. The materials, in the form of booklets, are delivered to each household, and packaging work was being carried out on the first floor of the community center at the time.

It was reported that the campaign materials Mr. A attempted to steal were not related to any specific candidate.

The police are currently investigating the exact motive, believing that Mr. A did not attempt to steal the materials with the intent to influence the election. The police have also requested a judgment from the Seoul Election Commission to determine whether Mr. A’s actions violate the Public Official Election Act.