Acting President Lee: "Presidential Election Must Be a Historic Turning Point for National Unity"

"Elections Must Be Conducted Fairly and Transparently"
Firm Zero-Tolerance Policy Against Illegal Acts

Jooho Lee Acting Director Yonhap News Agency

Jooho Lee, Acting President, Deputy Prime Minister, and Minister of Education, stated on the 12th, "Amidst the grave domestic and international political and economic circumstances, this election must serve not only as a process to elect a new national leader, but also as a historic turning point for national unity."

On this morning at the Government Complex Seoul, while presiding over the 'Fair Election Ministers' Meeting' in preparation for the 21st presidential election, Lee remarked, "From today, the official campaign period defined by the Public Official Election Act has begun," and made the above statement.

Lee emphasized, "The public's trust in the fairness of the election is more important than anything else," and added, "This election must be conducted more fairly and transparently than ever before to ensure that public trust is not shaken." He particularly indicated that any illegal acts undermining the fairness of the election or hindering voters' rational choices would be met with a zero-tolerance policy.

Lee stated, "Elections are the most important democratic procedure for confirming the will of the sovereign people," and called for the mobilization of all government capabilities to ensure that every citizen can exercise their right to vote. He urged the Ministry of Justice and the National Police Agency to strictly crack down on major crimes that could undermine the legitimacy of the election, such as bribery, dissemination of false information, election-related violence, and illegal deepfake videos. At the same time, he asked public officials to maintain political neutrality.

Lee said, "Public officials, as servants of the entire people, are prohibited by law from engaging in any act that could influence the election," and added, "All public officials must take this seriously and strictly maintain political neutrality until the election is over." With overseas voting for the 21st presidential election set to begin on the 20th, the government plans to ensure that all eligible voters?including overseas nationals residing abroad, seafarers engaged in fishing, soldiers fulfilling their national defense duties, and people with disabilities who cannot visit polling stations in person?can cast their precious votes without inconvenience.

Lee stated, "The government will do its utmost to ensure a fair and transparent election that earns the public's trust up to election day," and added, "I urge all citizens to make sure to cast your precious vote so that the 21st presidential election can serve as an opportunity to unify society and overcome the challenges we face."

The meeting was attended by officials from the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Overseas Koreans Agency, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of National Defense, Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the National Police Agency, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Ministry of Personnel Management, and Korea Post. Given that this presidential election is being held in a short period due to a vacancy in the presidency, the meeting discussed measures to strictly respond to illegal acts that may arise from overheated election fervor and to firmly ensure the political neutrality of public officials.

To support the National Election Commission, the government established a fair election support situation room for the 21st presidential election on the 8th of last month, and has built a system for promoting fair elections in cooperation with the police, local governments, and other relevant agencies. The government plans to make every effort to ensure that major statutory tasks, such as the compilation of voter lists, dispatch of election brochures and voting guides, and support for voting and ballot counting, proceed without a hitch.

In addition, the government will focus on cracking down on illegal acts related to opinion polls, dissemination of false information through various media, election-related violence, bribery, online illegal acts such as deepfakes, and public officials' involvement in elections. The government will respond strictly to such illegal acts in accordance with the law and principles. Furthermore, from the 6th of this month to the 3rd of next month, the government has designated a special processing period for the 21st presidential election and is preparing to handle election mail safely and promptly.