Kim Minseok, Election Committee Chair, Says "Received Report of Firearm Terror Threat"
On the 12th, the police stated regarding the Democratic Party's report about the alleged import of Russian-made rifles, "As of now, nothing has been confirmed at the police level," and added, "No official report has been filed by the Democratic Party."
Lee Jae Myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, raised both arms high as he began his first campaign rally on the 12th, the official first day of the 21st presidential election campaign, at Cheonggye Square in Gwanghwamun, Seoul, a space symbolizing the "Revolution of Light." Photo by Kim Hyun Min
During a regular press briefing that day, a police official said, "We will review whether the Democratic Party could be charged with spreading false information."
The Democratic Party has continued to insist that there is credible information about the import of Russian-made rifles. Cho Seungrae, head of public relations for the Central Election Countermeasures Committee, told reporters at the party headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul the previous day, "As threats of terror against candidate Lee continue to grow, we have formed a counter-terrorism response team led by Kim Minseok, the standing election committee chair." Kim, the election committee chair, stated, "We have also received reports of terror threats involving firearms and explosives, so we cannot afford to let our guard down."
Currently, the police are investigating 162 individuals for election-related offenses. By type of crime, there are 104 cases of spreading false information, 15 cases of public officials' involvement in elections, 7 cases of election-related violence, and 3 cases of bribery.
The police have also launched preliminary investigations into a total of 7 online threats against Democratic Party presidential candidate Lee Jaemyung. Of these, 1 case has been forwarded to prosecutors, while the remaining 6 cases are under investigation.
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