Justice Minister Park Sung-jae (L) and Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min announce a government statement related to the April 10 general elections in the central administrative city of Sejong on March 28, 2024. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Mar. 28 (Korea Bizwire) – In time for the launch of the April 10 general elections’ official campaigning, the government issued a statement on Thursday vowing to punish all illegal acts related to the elections under the zero tolerance principle.
The government will intensively crack down on the publication of false information, black propaganda, bribery, illegal intervention in elections by public officials and election-related violence, according to the statement jointly announced by Justice Minister Park Sung-jae and Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min.
In particular, masterminds behind fake news, false propaganda and violence against candidates will be thoroughly tracked down and held accountable, the statement said, promising to actively respond to new types of election crimes, such as deepfakes, or digitally manipulated audio or video materials.
“In cooperation with the National Election Commission, the government will do its best to create a fair and transparent election environment so that people can vote with confidence,” the statement said.
The participation of public officials in election affairs will be greatly increased to ensure that the early voting process can be managed more transparently and safely, it said, adding foreigners will be excluded from the process.
(Yonhap)
