Government "Strengthening Early Voting Management System... Zero Tolerance for Election Illegal Activities"

Storage of 'Early Voting Ballots' at Provincial Election Commissions Open for Public Inspection
Government Mobilizes Full Effort for Strict Investigation of 'False Information Dissemination and Negative Campaigning'

The government announced that it has made its best efforts to create a fair and transparent election environment in relation to the 22nd National Assembly election scheduled for the 10th of next month.

Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min and Minister of Justice Park Seong-jae are issuing a joint public statement regarding the 22nd National Assembly election on the morning of the 28th at the Government Sejong Complex.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Park Seong-jae, Minister of Justice, and Lee Sang-min, Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, issued a joint public statement at the Government Complex Sejong on the 28th.

Minister Lee said, "Large monitors have been installed at the city and provincial election commissions so that anyone can visit at any time to see the early voting ballots being stored until the counting day," and explained, "Following last year's announcement by the National Intelligence Service, many citizens expressed concerns, so necessary measures were taken against the possibility of hacking into the computer network."

The government stated, "To ensure that early voting, in which many citizens participate, is managed more transparently and safely, the participation of public officials in election affairs has been significantly increased," and added, "Police escort personnel will be deployed for all sections where early voting ballots are transported by mail."

It continued, "To enhance the fairness of the election, in cooperation with the Central Election Commission, a ‘manual ballot verification’ procedure will be introduced, in which people will directly check the ballots by hand once more instead of relying solely on mechanical equipment."

Furthermore, the government emphasized that it plans to thoroughly investigate illegal acts occurring during the election process under a zero-tolerance policy. Minister Park stated, "Fake news and false propaganda distort the people's choices and threaten democratic values; these are serious crimes that will be swiftly investigated, and hidden masterminds will be uncovered and held strictly accountable."

The government announced that it will focus on cracking down on ▲publication of false information and black propaganda ▲bribery ▲illegal election interference by public officials and organizations ▲election-related violence, mobilizing all government capabilities to thoroughly monitor and punish these offenses.

Additionally, the government plans to uncover and hold accountable hidden masterminds behind fake news, false propaganda, and election violence crimes targeting candidates, and will actively respond to new types of election crimes such as deepfakes that misuse artificial intelligence (AI) technology.