The official campaign activities for the 21st presidential election have begun, and there have been ongoing incidents of crimes such as damaging election banners and posters. Such acts not only violate other voters’ right to information but are also criticized for undermining the fairness of the election.
According to the National Police Agency, as of the 19th, there have been a total of 276 election-related criminal cases, with 363 individuals being apprehended. Among these, 185 individuals are accused of damaging promotional materials such as banners and posters.
Seoul’s Jungnang Police Station announced the arrest of a man in his 70s, identified as Mr. A, on the 17th for violating the Public Official Election Act. Mr. A was caught while vandalizing a banner of the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate, Lee Jae-myung, installed at Ihwa Bridge in Dongdaemun District on the morning of the 15th. On the afternoon of the 19th, a poster of Kim Moon-soo, the People Power Party candidate, was found damaged in Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province. The police tracked the suspect through CCTV footage for 1 hour and 30 minutes and apprehended another man in his 70s at his residence. A police official mentioned that they are investigating the motive behind the acts.
Damaging banners or posters is regarded as an act of interfering with election campaigns and can be punished under the Public Official Election Act. Article 240 of this law stipulates that, without justified reasons, damaging or removing election posters can result in a sentence of up to two years in prison or a fine of up to 4 million won.
In August of last year, the Incheon District Court sentenced a person in his 60s to an 800,000 won fine for tearing down and hand-ripping promotional materials of the Democratic Party candidate that were displayed on the outer wall of an election office building ahead of the 22nd National Assembly election. The court emphasized that damaging electoral campaign materials interrupts voters’ right to information and compromises the fairness of the election.
Even if there’s no political motive in damaging banners or posters, penalties may still apply. In 2022, the Cheongju District Court deferred the sentencing of a 45-year-old named Mr. B for tearing down six presidential candidate posters in the Seo-won District of Cheongju during the 20th presidential election. Mr. B stated during the police investigation that he wanted to keep the posters as collectibles. Deferred sentencing is a system where the sentencing for minor offenses is postponed for two years, and if no particular issues arise during this period, the sentence is waived.
During the 20th presidential election held in 2022, 850 individuals were sent to the prosecution for damaging banners and posters, accounting for 32.5% of the 2,614 election law offenders at that time. During the 22nd National Assembly election last year, 305 individuals were also sent to the prosecution for damaging banners.
A representative from the National Election Commission emphasized that vandalizing promotional materials of presidential candidates is a serious crime, and mature civic awareness is needed to maintain a clean election where the law is upheld.