SEOUL, As the preliminary registration for candidates in April's general elections begins this week, South Korean police announced Monday plans to intensify their crackdown on election law violations starting Tuesday. The National Office of Investigation will spearhead this enforcement drive.
According to Yonhap News Agency, The office plans to establish a task force dedicated to bolstering intelligence gathering on illegal election-related activities and will collaborate with local election watchdogs and the Supreme Prosecutors Office to address violations of election laws. Specific targets include bribery, the spread of disinformation, election-related violence, illegal mobilization for campaigning, and public officials' involvement in election campaigns, which could undermine the elections' impartiality. Additionally, authorities will monitor social media platforms to prevent the influence of fake news on public opinion. They are also set to take firm action against cybercrimes, such as hacking or distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks targeting the National Election Commission or political party websites.