CHANGWON — South Gyeongsang Province's election commission is stepping up its crackdown on illegal campaigning ahead of the Chuseok holiday, with next year's nationwide agricultural cooperative head elections in view.
The commission said on the 9th that prospective candidates for the 4th nationwide simultaneous cooperative head elections in March and the December provincial sports council chief elections could break the law by handing out cash or goods under the guise of holiday greetings.
Permitted and prohibited conduct are clearly divided. Prospective candidates may provide comfort goods to military units for Chuseok, donate to charities and hang holiday greeting banners on streets. Sending conventional holiday greetings by text message is also allowed.
Providing gifts such as fruit under the guise of holiday greetings, however, is subject to enforcement. So are remarks tied to campaigning, including appeals for support.
There have been past cases of election law violations during holidays. Heads of local governments and their civil servants provided or ordered the provision of holiday gifts to prominent local figures in the name of the local government or its head, drawing prison terms and suspended sentences. Fines totaling about 590 million won ($424,000) were imposed on 902 recipients, including prominent local figures.
In another case, a prospective candidate for a cooperative head election handed out a box of apples as a holiday gift. Fines of about 12 million won were imposed on 45 cooperative members and their family members who received gifts worth a combined 1.26 million won.
The commission urged the public to report any election-related illegal activity during the Chuseok holiday immediately by calling 1390, without an area code.
