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Staff Reporter
Prosecutors are investigating a number of suspected unlawful political activities carried out through Twitter, Web portals and other online-based media ahead of the June 2 local elections.
After a meeting of 58 high-ranking prosecutors, presided over by Prosecutor General Kim Joon-gyu, Wednesday, the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office announced that it will mobilize all possible resources to crack down on illegal election activities on the Internet, stressing it will impose steep financial penalties against gains earned through illegal election campaigns.
It also said prosecutors will make every effort to prevent unlawful rallies and politically-motivated industrial strikes that are aimed to influence election outcomes, adding it will prosecute those responsible for such unlawful activities.
“Elections should take place in a fair and neutral manner. Prosecutors should not take political considerations into account when investigating illicit campaign activities. Additionally, investigations should be conducted in a way not to influence political outcomes,” Kim said.
The prosecutors’ office has setup a “cyber crime monitoring team,” consisting of 36 investigators, to sniff out those who engage in unauthorized election campaigns on the Internet.
With a growing number of Koreans getting information online, politicians are increasingly turning to cyberspace to get their message out and rally support. However, law enforcement authorities are concerned that Twitter and other online tools may become a hotbed for illegal election campaigns.
In February, the National Election Commission (NEC) said it would prevent politicians and their supporters from using Twitter for promotional activities ahead of the elections.
But with the rising cases of possible illegal election activities in cyberspace as elections draw near, investigators have begun looking more closely into messages posted on online media sites and are ready to prosecute those responsible for spreading false rumors about certain candidates.
Prosecutors said a 51-year CEO of a shipping firm, only identified by his surname Lee, has been under questioning for posting several messages on Twitter, falsely claiming that a candidate he supports tops many public opinion polls. Twitter, which combines the strengths of blogs and instant messaging services, enables users to send and receive short messages on personal computers and mobile devices.
Additionally, a 35-year old CEO of an advertizing agency, indentified by his last name Kim, is also under investigation for stealing IDs from a number of Internet users to post promotional messages on portal sites, on behalf of candidates running for ward offices.
With 40 days left to go before the election, prosecutors said a total of 616 people have been booked and 23 have been taken into custody, lower than corresponding figures from four years ago. But the cases of illicit campaigns increased at a faster pace in April.
With many public officials running for mayor, governors and council members, 231 civil servants, including 61 incumbent heads of municipal governments, were booked. Of the 616, 330 were booked for giving and receiving money, while 43 were charged with the illegal promotion of certain candidates.
On Monday, Yeoju County head, Lee Ki-su was arrested for providing 200 million won in bribes to a Grand National Party (GNP) lawmaker in an attempt to secure a party nomination in the upcoming election.
트위터, 불법선거운동 단속
검찰은 트위터를 포함한 온라인 미디어를 통한 불법 선거 운동을 조사 중이다.
현재 온라인 상에서 정보를 수집하고 있는 사람들이 점점 늘어나고 있으며, 많은 정치인들이 사이버 공간을 통해 메시지를 전송하고 정치 활동 지원을 받고 있어 사정당국은 트위터 등 온라인 매체가 불법 선거 운동의 온상이 될 것을 우려하고 있다.
대검찰청은 수요일 인터넷을 통한 불법 선거 운동을 단속하기 위해 모든 방법을 동원할 것이라고 발표했다. 또한 검찰은 선거에 영향을 미칠 수 있는 불법 집회나 정치 선동적인 파업을 막기 위해 노력할 것이라고 밝혔다.
김준규 검찰총장은 “선거는 공정하고 중립적으로 치러져야 한다. 불법 행위를 수사하는데 정치적 고려를 해서는 안되며 그 결과가 정치에 영향을 줘서도 안 된다”고 주문했다.
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