SEOUL—South Korea's acting Prosecutor General Koo Ja-hyun pledged to deploy "all available means" to crack down on election-related fake news ahead of the nationwide local elections in June.
"With recent advances in artificial intelligence technology and deepening social conflicts, fake news using deepfake videos has become so sophisticated that it is difficult to distinguish from reality," Koo said at a joint statement release ceremony with police officials at the Government Complex Seoul in Jongno-gu on Wednesday. "It is spreading extensively and indiscriminately through online and mobile environments."
Koo, who serves as Deputy Prosecutor General at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, warned that the production and distribution of false information "not only seriously damages individuals' reputations but also creates social unrest regarding major issues, with damage that is enormous and virtually impossible to recover from."
"We will utilize all investigative techniques including forensic science to thoroughly uncover crimes, while also tracking down crimes using overseas servers through international judicial cooperation," he said. "For apprehended offenders, we will thoroughly maintain prosecutions and sentencing recommendations so that penalties commensurate with their crimes can be imposed, ensuring such crimes cannot take root in our society."
The acting prosecutor general also announced strengthened penalties for bribery-related election offenses, designating false information dissemination, negative campaigning, election-related bribery, illegal election interference by public officials, and election-related violence as priority enforcement targets.
The Supreme Prosecutors' Office established dedicated election investigation units at prosecution offices nationwide in January and activated an emergency communication system. Nationwide meetings of chief prosecutors in charge of election cases have been held to discuss response measures and share investigative expertise.
Acting National Police Agency Commissioner Yoo Jae-sung said police have operated a "Task Force on Fake News Distribution" since October 14 last year to prevent the spread of false information.
"Since January this year, we have been conducting intensive crackdowns on false information-related crimes using organized and computerized methods such as macros," Yoo said. "Organized distribution using automated means will be directly investigated by provincial police agency cyber investigation units, as the spread speed intensifies the damage."
The joint statement follows President Lee Jae-myung's directive on the 24th calling for strong responses to election-related crimes and ordering relevant agencies to strengthen preventive measures. The government held a "Cabinet Meeting on Fake News Response" at the Government Complex Seoul on Wednesday to discuss government-wide countermeasures.