President Lee Jae-myung on Tuesday stressed that "so-called three major election crimes must be dealt with swiftly and strictly." Ahead of the June 3 local elections, he ordered preemptive measures against election crimes, including ensuring electoral neutrality and eradicating fake news.
Speaking at a Cabinet meeting and the 7th Emergency Economic Review Meeting held at the former presidential office in Cheong Wa Dae, Lee said, "Local elections are now approaching." He added, "I urge that crimes such as smear campaigns aimed at slandering opponents, distributing money to disrupt election order and buy votes, and election intervention by public officials be dealt with very boldly, swiftly and strictly."
Lee said, "Elections are the most important procedure in a democratic republic that adopts democracy," noting that "the Constitution, the highest norm of the Republic of Korea, states that the people are the owners of the nation." He continued, "Due to geographic or various social conditions, it is difficult for everyone to gather and make decisions. So we elect representatives who handle matters concerning the entire community — isn't that what the electoral system is?" He added, "We must elect them well. For that, our citizens who hold the right to vote and the power of choice must have access to accurate information."
Lee further stated, "There must never be acts such as spreading false information to distort the opinions and intentions of the people, obstructing decision-making, buying votes with money, intervening through power, or manipulating and engineering outcomes." He added, "Therefore, ensuring that voters can freely gather information about elections and candidates and make rational judgments based on that information is the greatest responsibility of the government."
