Alumni Unions at Year End Is Possible or Not?

As the news that the prosecution ordered the police to crackdown on alumni meetings and family meetings during the election campaign period has broke out, it is expected to stir controversy. However, the National Election Commission is somewhat easing on the crackdown, so office workers or Korean citizens who plan to hold such meetings at the end of the year are likely to get confused.

According to the prosecution and the police, Oct.29, the Seoul District Prosecution held a meeting on Oct. 15 with senior police officers from each police station in Seoul attending, in which they announced their policy on clampdown on functions such as alumni meetings, meetings of those from the same hometown and family meetings.

A prosecution official who participated in that meeting said that the policy is based on the election law and that the crackdown should be made.

He was reported to add, "Though the National Election Committee made an announcement that there will be no crackdown, the prosecution should follow the law until it is revised."

In the beginning, the Commission said that it would ban such meetings. But as the public goes against the policy, it withdrew from the policy and made an announcement that the crackdown would be limited to such meetings related to the presidential election.

However, according to sources, the prosecution official said that the Commission’s announcement didn’t make sense and that the prosecution sent a complaint against its’ decision.

Against this backdrop, police stations are conducting education on police officers in charge of the crackdown, in which they ordered these officers to continue the crackdown according to the law, though the Commission’s announcement has caused some confusion.

Some police officers expect that the public’s confusion and consequent some trouble is unavoidable because the prosecution and the National Election Commission are at odds.

An office worker, 49, only identified by the family name of Chung, said, "Related government agencies should reach agreement on the crackdown to minimize possible damage to the public."

An official with the National Election Commission said, "The easing on the crackdown was intended on the premise of revision of the election law. Though the revision is not made during the session of the National Assembly (until November 7), the current law will not be applied strictly."

Subsection 1 of Section 103 of the election for public office and election irregularities prevention act stipulates that during the election campaign period, in the areas where the election will be conducted, alumni meetings, meetings of those from the same hometown, and family functions shall not be held. If a person violates the law, he or she will be subject to maximum 3-year prison terms or fines of 6 million won.

This section became a law on Feb. 16 2000 when in the runner up to the 16th general elections, the National Election Commission presented the bill and the National Assembly’s political reform committee accepted it based on the agreement of the ruling and opposition parties.

Dong-Yong Min mindy@donga.com