S. Korea Elevates Terror Alert as Election Campaign Season Kicks Off

(MENAFN) South Korea elevated its national terror alert level on Wednesday in a sweeping security push ahead of next month's local elections, with authorities moving to shield candidates and campaign events from potential threats, local media reported.

The government announced the nationwide alert would be upgraded from "attention" to "caution" — the second-lowest tier on the country's four-level terror warning system — effective Thursday through June 4, a news agency reported.

The Office for Government Policy Coordination said the heightened measure is designed to bolster counterterrorism efforts and safeguard the June 3 local elections, in which voters across the country will choose provincial governors, mayors, and local councilors.

Prime Minister Kim Min-seok simultaneously pledged a firm crackdown on election-related offenses, specifically targeting disinformation, vote-buying, and unlawful interference by public officials.

"We will deal sternly and swiftly with three major election crimes," Kim said during a government meeting on election fairness. He also sounded the alarm over the escalating threat posed by AI-generated deepfake content circulating during the campaign period.

Official campaigning for both the local elections and parliamentary by-elections is scheduled to launch Thursday and run for 13 days, the National Election Commission confirmed.

More than 7,800 candidates have registered to contest thousands of positions nationwide, while 14 parliamentary seats are simultaneously up for grabs in by-elections drawing significant national attention. A total of 513 candidates have already secured seats unopposed after running without challengers in their respective constituencies.

Among the most closely monitored contests is the race in Busan's Buk-A constituency, where former ruling party leader Han Dong-hoon is mounting an independent bid against rivals from both liberal and conservative camps.

The elections are broadly seen as the first major nationwide political litmus test for President Lee Jae Myung since he assumed office in June 2025 — following a snap presidential election triggered by the impeachment of former president Yoon Suk Yeol over his short-lived and ultimately failed martial law declaration.

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