Ahead of the ninth nationwide local elections, the number of people in Gyeonggi Province under investigation for violating the Public Official Election Act is nearing 600.
The Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency said at a regular press briefing on the 1st that, as of the previous day, it had received 249 cases on suspicion of violating the Public Official Election Act and was investigating a total of 592 people.
Compared with 132 cases and 432 people as of the 10th of last month, in 20 days the number of cases increased by 117 and the number of people under investigation rose by 160.
So far, police have completed investigations into 39 cases involving 116 people. Of these, 33 were referred to prosecutors, while 83 were not referred or were not booked.
By type among the 33 referred, bribery involving money or valuables was the most common with 23 people. That was followed by seven public officials interfering in elections, one smear campaign, one election-related assault, and one violation of the campaign period.
There are 210 cases currently under investigation, involving 476 people.
Two people were arrested in connection with violent incidents that occurred during the campaign period.
In Bundang District, Seongnam, on the 12th, a company employee in his 30s who threw a bottle of mineral water from the rooftop of a building near Migeum Station at a Seongnam city council preliminary candidate was arrested in the act and referred in custody.
In Pyeongtaek, a man in his 50s who assaulted a provincial assembly candidate's campaign worker while intoxicated was arrested.