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Currently, 7,531 candidates have registered for the elections for local government heads and local councilors that are approaching on the 15th.

SBS Data Journalism's 'Crash' team analyzed all of the candidates' criminal records and data, and there were many candidates with criminal histories that were difficult to convince voters.



You're a good reporter.



<Reporter>



What I see behind me are the faces of 7,531 candidates running for local government heads and local councilors in this local election.



Among them, 2,727 candidates, or 36.2%, have a criminal record.



By political party, independents accounted for the most at 52.6%, followed by People's Strength at 35.4%, the Democratic Party of Korea at 30.9%, and the Justice Party at 24.1%.



It decreased slightly from the previous local elections, but increased slightly from the general election two years ago.



The most common criminal history was drunk driving and driving without a license at 40.8%.



In particular, after the Yoon Chang-ho Act, which strengthened the punishment for drunk drivers, only 35 candidates have a criminal record for drinking, including 8 active-duty lawmakers.



[Kwon Seong-hyeon/Changwon City Councilman (Caught after Yoon Chang-ho Act): I'm sorry...

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Because, as a city councilor, I did the part that I shouldn't eat...

.

The prosecutor was fined 10 million won.]



The most criminals were independent candidate Kang Hae-bok, running for Busanjin-gu, Busan, and independent candidate Chae Nam-deok, running for mayor of Gunsan, Jeollabuk-do, with 14 criminal records.



Fraud, drunk driving, assault, and violation of the Labor Standards Act.



[Kang Hae-bok / Candidate (14 criminal convictions): It is not a criminal record and we fight each other, so we pay each other fines and go out drinking at night…

.

If you look at it, it doesn't matter.]



[Nam-deok Chae/Candidate (14 criminal records): There was a criminal record because there were difficulties while patients were reluctant to come.

Anyway, I'm really sorry, I was really wrong, and I'm ashamed.] After



drinking, 10.4% of the candidates had a history of violence related, and 2% were related to sexual offenses such as molestation, adultery, and distribution of pornography.



[Kim Seong-dal / Director of Policy at Citizens’ Alliance for Economic Justice: In the absence of local political parties, blind nominations and queued nominations are such situations. If transparent nominations are also absent, then perhaps morally verified or competent candidates cannot emerge…

.]



Ahead of this election, each political party announced that they would raise the criteria for ineligibility for nominations for criminal convictions.



However, both the big parties have failed to keep their promises, and it means that they have nominated candidates.



(Video coverage: Yang Hyun-cheol, video editing: Yu Mira, CG: Seo Seung-hyun·Lim Chan-hyuk, data: Kang Dong-yong)