Incumbent Suwon City Council Member Referred to Prosecutors for Public Official Election Act Violations

An incumbent Suwon City Council member affiliated with the Democratic Party has been referred to prosecutors for alleged violations of the Public Official Election Act, according to reports.

According to the Suwon Jangan Police Station on the 6th, police referred Council Member Kim Min-yang (Democratic Party, Jeongja 1, 2, and 3 districts) to prosecutors on the 27th of last month for two counts of Public Official Election Act violations, including premature election campaigning and illegal use of a megaphone, as well as defamation charges.

Council Member Kim is accused of using a megaphone at a sporting club event in Jangan-gu, Suwon on March 15 at approximately 10:30 a.m. to announce his candidacy for the local election and appeal for support.

The Public Official Election Act restricts election campaigning before the official campaign period, except in cases permitted by law, and allows the use of megaphones for election campaigns only within methods and scope prescribed by law.

Additionally, Council Member Kim was referred to prosecutors with defamation charges applied for remarks directed at regional politicians affiliated with other political parties.

A police official stated, "There are several cases referred in connection with the previous local election, but they are still in the pre-indictment stage, so we cannot confirm details about specific matters."