Illegal Accusations among Presidential Candidates to Be Rooted Out

Secretary-general Jo Young-sik (53) of the National Election Commission (NEC) announced the intention of the NEC to directly intervene in libel propaganda among presidential candidates, saying on April 12, “If libelous or malicious propaganda occurs, the NEC will request evidence and make prosecutions if necessary, after an investigation.”

Secretary-general Jo gave this information during an interview with Dong-A, and added, “We will make the evidence we gather accessible through the press so that the voters will be able to make decisions for themselves.”

He emphasized, “If suspicion of election law violations arise regarding such matters, we will intervene as much as the law allows us to in order to reveal the truth. Not only will the parties that violate the law be punished, but we will be able to prevent the possibility of voters making the wrong decision.”

Secretary-general Jo showed a strong determination to root out libel, saying, “In the past, accusations among candidates had a large influence on the election. Spreading false information just before the election so that the accused person doesn’t even have a chance to defend themselves is a mean campaign strategy, and if we get rid of this practice, we will be able to achieve a clean election.”

Also, the secretary-general demanded that the National Assembly quickly process the Political Relations Act reform bill that the NEC submitted last December. The reform bill contains such changes as allowing presidential candidates to be supported by supporters’ associations.

“We’re at the risk of electing a candidate who utilizes illegal funds. The April Assembly must take care of this matter.”

Meanwhile, as the presidential elections will be held in 250 days as of April 13, the NEC has decided that the official presidential election season has begun. They will begin actively collecting information regarding election expenses from candidates in order to prevent illegal election campaigning.

tesomiom@donga.com