Prime Minister Kim Min-seok delivered a public address on Wednesday, 50 days ahead of local elections, emphasizing that "the government will impose maximum penalties allowed by law as a stern warning against fake news exploiting artificial intelligence during the nationwide simultaneous local elections."
"Under the Public Official Election Act, deepfake election videos using AI are strictly prohibited starting 90 days before the election," PM Kim said at the Government Complex Seoul.
"We will also strictly and firmly handle the 'five major election crimes,' including bribery, election violence, and civil servants' interference in elections, under a zero-tolerance principle," he said. "Given that election crimes are subject to a short six-month statute of limitations, we will process them swiftly and thoroughly to ensure that detected crimes are held accountable accordingly."
PM Kim expressed concern that "groundless false information plants deep conflict and distrust throughout our society and causes enormous administrative resources and social costs in the process of correcting it," calling it "a serious threat that shakes the foundation of democracy."
"The government will create a fair and transparent election that can be fully trusted by strictly managing the entire voting and counting process so that citizens can exercise their precious rights," he emphasized.
