Minister of the Interior and Safety Yoon Ho-jung told the police leadership on Jan. 2, "The full-fledged election battle will begin soon, starting with each party's nominations," and said, "Thoroughly investigate bribery, smear campaigns, and other election crimes from the party nomination stage and crack down early on any corruption."
The Minister attended a video conference with the nationwide police leadership that day and said that the 9th local elections are scheduled for June 3, stating accordingly.
The Minister said, "Democracy is the process by which the people's will is institutionalized through elections," adding, "Only through fair and clean elections can the people's will be properly reflected and legitimate representatives of the people be elected."
He went on, "Because this is the first election since our government was launched, the importance and significance of this election will be unique," and said, "The Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS), the lead ministry for election support, will make every effort without gaps, but the role of the police is more important than anything for a fair election."
The Minister said, "In three areas—secure election security, strict crackdowns on illegal election crimes, and maintaining firm political neutrality—I ask the police to fulfill their roles and responsibilities."
He added, "Chronic election crimes are a fatal harm that destroys democracy and the rule of law," and said, "To advance Korea's political culture, rooting out illegal acts in the election process must come first."
The Minister said, "Thorough investigations are not limited to the upcoming election," and added, "If there were illegal acts related to prior elections, thorough investigations must firmly uphold a zero-tolerance principle against illegal and fraudulent acts that threaten party democracy."
The Minister stressed that as this year marks the second year of the Lee Jae-myung administration, it is time to deliver results. He said, "The police must take an active role in eradicating various crimes that unsettle people's livelihoods and threaten public safety, such as relationship-based crimes, the spread of false information and fake news, and drug and transnational crimes."
The Minister added, "As shown by last year's abolition of the Police Bureau, the police's autonomy will continue to be guaranteed to the greatest extent, and if there are areas that need it, we will actively cooperate."