By Yi Whan-woo
The prosecution said Friday it will get tougher with people who make defamatory comments about candidates ahead of the Dec. 19 presidential election.
The Supreme Prosecutors’ Office has vowed to arrest those who violate the Election Law that prohibits defamation of candidates. “Defamation is a serious crime that can affect voters, and we’ll prosecute those who speak ill of candidates without any reason,” Prosecutor General Han Sang-dae at a meeting with senior prosecutors in Seoul.
This will be the first presidential election since 2007 when the use of social networking services (SNS) including Twitter and Facebook first became widespread and widely used among voters. Concerns are growing over possible mass circulation of baseless rumors as seen in the Seoul mayoral by-election in 2011 and the parliamentary elections in April.
Koreans living overseas will also be allowed to vote for the first time. The prosecution is concerned that a number of pro-North Korean organizations could launch malicious propaganda on the Internet to tarnish reputations of conservative candidates.
Prosecutors already have booked 44 people for violating the Election Law, and 10 of them, including one person outside of Korea, are accused of making defamatory remarks about the candidates.