50 Million won Reward for the Report on the Illegal Election Campaign

The National Elections Commission(NEC) disclosed on March 7 that they will increase the maximum limit of reward from the present 10 million won to 50 million won for the report of the illegal election campaign.

NEC is planning to revise the ‘rule on the management of the public election’ to such effect, as soon as a revised bill of the Election Law is passed in a plenary session of the National Assembly.

Kim Ho-yeul, a chief of election administration department, talked over telephone this day that, “as the provision for the reward payment for the reporter on the election criminal is newly added to the revised bill of the Election Law, the details on the reward will be clearly stated in the ‘rule on the management of the public election.” And “in addition to the increase of the reward from the highest 10 million won up to maximum 50 million won, we will provide an additional reward for the reporter if the election of the accused is declared invalid,” he said.

According to its own regulation, NEC has so far provided maximum 10 million won for those who report ‘offering money and valuables and entertainment,’ maximum 5 million won to those who report ‘government authority-involved election, publication of false facts, slander, and black propaganda,’ and 2 million won on other crimes related with general elections.

Min-Hyuk Park mhpark@donga.com