The Korean National Police Agency announced on the 5th that it had detected 2,565 election offenders (2,295 cases) during the 21st presidential election period, of which 8 were arrested. Eighty-eight were referred to the prosecution, while 44 were not referred. Two thousand four hundred eighty-three are under investigation.
The number of election offenders detected during this presidential election period increased by 85.5% compared to the 20th presidential election in 2022 (1,383 offenders). Compared to the 19th presidential election in 2017 (956 offenders), it rose by 168.3%.
The types of detected election offenses include ▲damage to banners and posters 1,907 ▲spreading false information 189 ▲election violence 137 ▲accepting bribes 17 ▲election involvement by public officials 32 ▲mobilizing illegal organizations 3 ▲others 213. Nineteen cases of election crimes using deepfakes were detected, with 30 individuals under investigation. Compared to the last election, damage to banners and posters increased by 205.1%, and election violence rose by 107.6%.
The police explained that after the amendment of laws such as the Prosecution Service Act, the police has been investigating most major election crimes, which has led to an increase in election offenses. They also analyzed that the increase in damage to banners and posters is partly due to heightened tensions between factions following the 12·3 state of emergency.
The Korean National Police Agency plans to concentrate its investigative efforts as the statute of limitations for election crimes is short, at 6 months after the election date.