Ruling on Election Violations

Current practice for dealing with violations of election laws is being reconsidered. Presently, those in violation of election laws have been fined a penalty of eight to nine hundred thousand won, which essentially renders a campaign invalid. The invalidity of an election can be determined anytime within the year following vote.

On April 9 the Supreme Court announced that judges ruling on election cases at an April 2 meeting decided, “The fine of eight to nine hundred thousand won doesn’t seem right considering that the criteria of invalidity is a million won.”

The judges also reached a consensus on the methodology for determining both who are successful and unsuccessful candidates and establishing the gap between an elected and second place winner.

To expedite the process, the judges will set the first court day within two weeks after registration of a case and will not accept an application for delay of the first trial. The second trial will be held within one week. If necessary, the trials will be held every two or three days.

Bribing will be strictly punished regardless of the amount of money involved. Judges will be also issue decisive verdicts to law evasion involving propaganda and the internet.

A Supreme Court official stated, “The public has expressed the nation’s desire for a strict weighing of offense, even if the half of the elected becomes invalid. The judge should forget about the burden of reelection. Many judges agreed with the public opinion.”

Meanwhile, the prosecution revealed it has prosecuted a total 1,546 election violations as of April 9.

An official from the prosecution stated, “The authorities want to be strict on election illegalities. We seem to have a number of second and special elections caused by the sentences of invalidity after the general elections.” There were 10 representatives who were declared invalid for election at the sixteenth general election in 2000.

jin0619@donga.com