[Exclusive] 181 Illegal Acts Found in First Direct Nationwide Simultaneous Saemaeul Geumgo Chairman Election

[Slow Reform in Saemaeul Geumgo] ⑤
Most Cases Ended with Warnings: 144 Incidents
30 Cases Reported to Police and Other Authorities
Most Common Type of Complaint: "Donations and Similar Acts"
Includes Provision of Money or Valuables by Candidates
18 Cases Involved Illegal Dissemination of False Information

The Jeollanam-do Election Commission filed a complaint with the police last month against Candidate A, who was running for chairman of a Saemaeul Geumgo credit union in Jeollanam-do, and his associate B. The complaint was filed over allegations that they distributed money and valuables in order to secure victory in the election. B is accused of conspiring with A, who was then a preliminary candidate in February, to help A win by providing 1,526,000 won in cash and valuables to two voters while campaigning verbally and over the phone.

Candidate C, who ran for chairman of a credit union in Anyang, Gyeonggi Province, was reported to the police for making false statements. At the end of February, C sent election materials containing fabricated records of management evaluations and other achievements from his tenure as chairman to 15,000 voters, thereby disseminating false information.

The Gyeongju City Election Commission confirmed that money and valuables had been distributed to voters and sent text messages urging them to come forward. It was found that cash and valuables had been distributed to around 100 delegates, and after the messages were sent, additional voters reported having received such items.

It has been confirmed that illegal activities aimed at winning the nationwide simultaneous direct elections for Saemaeul Geumgo chairmen, held for the first time, were repeated as in the past. Numerous cases were found in which candidates promoted false information favorable to themselves or engaged in electioneering by providing cash and valuables or making donations.

According to data submitted by the office of Park Junghyun, a member of the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee from the Democratic Party, to the National Election Commission on April 21, there were a total of 181 cases of illegal acts that resulted in action during the election process for the "1st Nationwide Simultaneous Saemaeul Geumgo Chairman Election" (as of March 24). Of these, 144 cases ended with a warning, making it the most common outcome. There were 30 cases referred to the police, 6 cases requested for investigation, and 1 case transferred to another agency.

Warnings were issued in cases where illegal acts were committed but were not considered serious. Most of the cases that resulted in warnings occurred during electioneering conducted via phone calls, text messages, or information networks. There were 54 such cases, making it the most common type of violation. These included acts such as non-candidates sending election-related information through social networking services (SNS), posting or transmitting false information or content slandering candidates, and family members or third parties making campaign calls or setting up dedicated phone lines and operating phone promotion teams at specific locations.

The most common type of case referred to the police was "donation and similar acts." The Election Commission refers cases to the police when the illegality is severe enough to significantly undermine the freedom and fairness of the election. There were 35 cases related to illegal donations, such as distributing cash and valuables, and the majority (21 cases) were reported to the police. In fact, in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, from February to last month, three people, including a candidate, were reported to the police for either giving or offering envelopes containing 600,000 won in cash to four voters.

In addition, there were 18 cases of illegal acts involving the dissemination of false information. Four of these resulted in police referrals, while 14 ended with warnings. There were also nine cases related to printed materials or facilities.

Park Junghyun, a Democratic Party lawmaker, stated, "It has become difficult to avoid the stigma that the first-ever nationwide simultaneous Saemaeul Geumgo chairman election has been tainted by irregularities." He added, "To address this, it is necessary to promptly analyze the errors and problems in the election process and produce a white paper containing improvement measures." He also emphasized, "The National Assembly will closely review Saemaeul Geumgo's self-rescue measures and actively propose additional supplementary measures."