The police began protection for candidates of each political party ahead of the June 3 presidential election.
Acting Commissioner Lee Ho-young of the Korean National Police Agency noted during a regular press briefing on the 28th, “We will deploy dedicated security teams for each political party's presidential candidates,” adding, “Protection for Lee Jae-myung, the candidate from the Democratic Party of Korea, started today.” Previously, the Democratic Party selected Lee as its presidential candidate during the preliminary election the day before.
On that day, the candidate visited the National Cemetery in Dongjak District, Seoul, to pay respects at the graves of former Presidents Syngman Rhee, Park Chung-hee, Kim Young-sam, Kim Dae-jung, and former Prime Minister Park Tae-joon, who was the founding chairman of POSCO. It was reported that when the representative paid his respects at the grave of former President Park Chung-hee, a man approached, saying he would “deliver a letter,” and a police security officer at the scene separated the man.
The police have selected a total of 180 personnel for election security. This is an increase of 20 to 30 people compared to the 20th presidential election three years ago. On the day of the June 3 presidential election, the highest security alert known as “Gapho Emergency” will be issued. The Gabho Emergency is the highest level of emergency decree where all police officers must work, and annual leave for police officers is suspended, allowing for full mobilization of police forces.
The police currently operate a 24-hour election crime investigation situation room across 278 police stations nationwide. So far, 97 individuals have been caught in 43 cases of election crimes. Among them, 76 were for spreading false information, and 12 were for involvement of public officials in elections.
The acting commissioner explained, “Election crimes using deep fakes will be investigated directly by the cyber divisions of the police agencies in each city and province.”