Seoul: The leaders of both the ruling and main opposition parties were placed under police protection earlier than initially planned following allegations of online threats targeting the ruling party chief. This development comes ahead of the June 3 local elections, as confirmed by police on Sunday.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the ruling Democratic Party requested police protection for its leader, Rep. Jung Chung-rae, after receiving reports of assassination threats against him in social media group chatrooms. In response, the Seoul Yeongdeungpo Police Station launched an investigation into the online threats and commenced police protection for both Rep. Jung and Rep. Jang Dong-hyeok, the leader of the main opposition People Power Party, starting Sunday afternoon.
The National Police Agency communicated to reporters that dedicated protection teams for the leaders of the Democratic Party and the People Power Party were activated earlier than the original schedule, which was set for May 21, the beginning of the official campaign period.